OF THESIS Title: Self-efficacy in transitional moments with a focus on the transition from primary to lower secondary education Author: Bc. Barbora Kučerová Supervisor: PhDr. Simona Hoskovcová, PhD. Number of pages and characters: 74 pages and 155 289 characters Number of appendices: 2 Number of references: 79 Abstract: This diploma thesis considers the self-efficacy concept from the point of view of social cognitive theory. The main goal of this thesis is to investigate the differences in the level of pupils' academic self-efficacy as well as the emotional perception of the change during the transition from primary to lower secondary education. The research was made on a sample of 173 fifth-graders using a questionnaire where the level of their academic self-efficacy and emotional perception of the change was measured during 3 times - before the transition, after the transition and after the adaptation to the change. The results did not prove a statistically significant decrease of the level of academic self-efficacy during the transition. Against expectations the pupils' positive perception of the change was proven. Key words: self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, transition, adaptation, change

Anställningssituation har visat sig ha betydelsefulla faktorer för tilltron till den egna förmågan (self-efficacy) i utbildnings- och arbetssammanhang. Syftet med denna studie var att belysa studerande bemanningsanställdas upplevelse av self-efficacy gällande studier, nuvarande arbetsuppgifter samt framtida karriär i relation till anställningssituationen. Studien byggde på åtta kvalitativa intervjuer med studenter mellan 21–35 år och som arbetar inom bemanningsbranschen, varav fem kvinnor. Utifrån fenomenologisk analys och genom meningskoncentrering genererades temana Värdering av självet, egna erfarenheter och framtidsmöjligheter, Socialt stöd i arbetsmiljön, Ambivalens jobb-studier-livet, Varierande meningsfullhet i arbetssituationen, samt Trygghet och otrygghet i arbetet. Resultatet visade att anställningssituationen inkluderar faktorer som kan påverka self-efficacy både positivt och negativt. Studien visade som tidigare forskningar att self-efficacy är föränderlig och kan förstärkas eller försvagas. Resultatet kan för bemanningsanställda ge möjlighet att reflektera över sin arbetssituation, förstärka positiva effekter för self-efficacy och reducera negativa.

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This research develops and validates a task-specific parenting self-efficacy measure focussing on the following domains: showing affection and empathy, engaging in play, facilitating routines, establishing discipline strategies, providing appropriate learning and development activities, and promoting communication interaction. Self-efficacy can be described as a person’s belief in his or her ability to successfully complete tasks. Self-efficacy beliefs are among the most consistent predictors of success and performance in many contexts. As a result, self-efficacy has been investigated across a variety of domains. Parenting self-efficacy can be defined as judgement which a parent has regarding his or her ability to successfully complete the tasks related to parenting a child. Increasing parents’ competence in raising and supporting their children throughout life is regarded as one of the cornerstones of adaptive parenting. As improving parenting self-efficacy has been known to have a positive effect on parenting competence it has been incorporated as a component of early childhood intervention programmes in recent years. Numerous self-efficacy instruments are currently being used to measure self-efficacy within the parenting literature. In the development of this particular measure, challenges surrounding the conceptualization and operationalization of parenting self-efficacy have been investigated. The parenting sense of efficacy instrument (P-SEMI) was developed from theoretical frameworks within both parenting and self-efficacy domains. A classification for the definition and development of parenting self-efficacy measures is proposed. The relevant theoretical constructs are operationalized in order to identify their observable indicators (discrete parenting tasks). The main aim of this empirical research is therefore to validate the P-SEMI by establishing the internal consistency reliability, as well as face, content, construct, and differential validity for the measure. The design used is a descriptive survey type design with three phases. Phase 1 established validity in the conceptual domain. The measure was developed and content validity was investigated by a panel of subject matter experts. Phase 2 established validity in the methodological domain. During this phase the measure was administered to two groups of mothers; mothers of children with a disability, and mothers of typically developing children. Seventy-nine mothers participated in this phase of the study. Two additional established measures were used as convergent measures, namely the general self-efficacy scale (which is a global self-efficacy measure) and the parenting sense of competence scale (which is a domain-general measure). Based on the data collected from these participants, content, construct and differential validity was established. Phase 3 established initial validity in the substantive domain. Results indicated that the P-SEMI is a reliable and valid task-specific measure for assessing the level of parenting self-efficacy of mothers of young children. The P-SEMI is moderately correlated to both of the existing self-efficacy measures used as convergent measures. The newly developed task-specific measure was the only measure which was able to differentiate between the levels of parenting self-efficacy. As a result this measure is applicable as a clinical tool to measure parenting self-efficacy, and can be used to conduct further research within the field of parenting self-efficacy. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication / unrestricted

Research has shown that self-efficacy is one of the most important personal resources in the work context. However, research on working life has mainly focused on a cognitive and task-oriented dimension of self-efficacy representing employees’ perceptions of their capacity to successfully complete work tasks. Thus, little is known about the influence that believing in one’s social and emotional competence could have. This thesis aims to expand previous theory regarding self-efficacy in the workplace by investigating social, emotional, and cognitive self-efficacy dimensions in relation to leadership, health, and well-being.   The thesis rests on four empirical studies, all related to health and well-being, and including at least one self-efficacy dimension. Study I employed questionnaire data from 169 Swedish high school students. The other three studies were based on questionnaire data obtained during a three-year international health-promoting leadership research project. These participants were employees and leaders from 229 different teams in 12 organizations in Sweden and Germany representing a wide range of occupations. Study I supported the idea that emotional self-efficacy is an important antecedent to prosocial behaviour and also highlighted the value of differentiating between different dimensions of self-efficacy. Study II validated the new work-related Occupational Social and Emotional Self-efficacy Scales; and indicated that these dimensions are positively related to well-being. However, Study III showed that emotional exhaustion in followers crossed over to leaders when the leaders’ emotional self-efficacy was high. Study IV revealed that transformational leadership and social self-efficacy can be positive for team climate. The main theoretical contribution of this thesis is to expand previous theory regarding self-efficacy in the workplace by incorporating social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. The main practical implication is that the new Occupational Social and Emotional Self-efficacy Scales can be used to promote health and well-being in the workplace through activities such as recruitment, staff development, and team-building. This thesis suggests that (a) training managers to exert transformational leadership behaviours may simultaneously promote team climate, and this process may be mediated by social self-efficacy, (b) it may be counterproductive to enhance leaders’ emotional abilities in a team of exhausted followers, since the result can be an exhausted leader rather than an exhilarated team, (c) interventions aimed at improving health and well-being should be specific to each work setting, and (d) a more holistic approach where the mutual influence between leaders and followers is considered may be beneficial for healthier work environments.

The Sources of Middle School Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (Usher & Pajares, 2009) was adapted for use in this study investigating the impact that gender, race, sexual orientation, hometown location (rural, suburban, or urban), high school GPA, college GPA and letter grade of a mathematics course in the previous semester had on the four sources of mathematical self-efficacy of 102 college freshmen attending three small, private, liberal arts institutions. Even though this study found no interaction effects between the student characteristics, the four sources of mathematical self-efficacy, or the three subcategories of the vicarious experience construct, this study did find statistically significant results for several independent variables: gender, hometown environment, and the letter grade received in the mathematics course the preceding semester at the Bonferroni correction rate of .025. Additionally, small p-values for race and hometown environments warrant further investigation with a larger sample size.

The research study was conducted to investigate the effects of a performance appraisal system, rewards and self-efficacy beliefs in a utility company in South Africa. The study was motivated by the incessant challenges raised by employees against the way performance appraisal and rewards are conducted and awarded in the utility company. The scholarship that was consulted for this study included research articles, magazines, newspapers, company reports, books, citations from reputable sources and the Internet. These sources provided the arguments for and against the areas of a performance appraisal system, rewards and self-efficacy beliefs in the knowledge economy. A quantitative research methodology was used in this study where the questionnaire was the main data collection instrument. The quantitative research methodology was motivated by the nature and type of data collected, data collection instrument and the research paradigm. Data were collected from geographically dispersed locations and this would not have been possible to collect large volumes of data had an interview been used. The findings from the study were analysed and presented with the use of statistical packages. The findings were discussed and presented in chapter four of the study, where it was shown that performance appraisal systems were important in organisations as they create opportunities for the supervisor to know the weaknesses or strengths of his/her subordinates. Rewards were used as part of incentives to motivate employees to perform better. The study established that employees possessing high self-efficacy were bound to perform higher than those with low self-efficacy. The study established that there was a relationship between performance appraisals, rewards and self-efficacy. / MBA (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The research study was conducted to investigate the effects of a performance appraisal system, rewards and self-efficacy beliefs in a utility company in South Africa. The study was motivated by the incessant challenges raised by employees against the way performance appraisal and rewards are conducted and awarded in the utility company. The scholarship that was consulted for this study included research articles, magazines, newspapers, company reports, books, citations from reputable sources and the Internet. These sources provided the arguments for and against the areas of a performance appraisal system, rewards and self-efficacy beliefs in the knowledge economy. A quantitative research methodology was used in this study where the questionnaire was the main data collection instrument. The quantitative research methodology was motivated by the nature and type of data collected, data collection instrument and the research paradigm. Data were collected from geographically dispersed locations and this would not have been possible to collect large volumes of data had an interview been used. The findings from the study were analysed and presented with the use of statistical packages. The findings were discussed and presented in chapter four of the study, where it was shown that performance appraisal systems were important in organisations as they create opportunities for the supervisor to know the weaknesses or strengths of his/her subordinates. Rewards were used as part of incentives to motivate employees to perform better. The study established that employees possessing high self-efficacy were bound to perform higher than those with low self-efficacy. The study established that there was a relationship between performance appraisals, rewards and self-efficacy. / MBA (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

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The health risks associated with sexual behaviour may be prevented by strengthening the individual's identity, self-esteem and the ability to handle relationships. Increase of the use of condoms among youth and young adults, 15 to 29 year olds, may reduce the spread of the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI); chlamydia. The project “love ambassadors” are situated at Mälardalen University and works according to “the peer-to-peer education”, which means that students educate other students. The theoretical perspective of this study is the “diffusion theory”, which involves the dissemination of knowledge and “Self-efficacy” which includes a self-belief of the individuals own ability to influence events that has effects on the individual's life. The purpose of this study was to investigate in which extent college students are testing for STI and HIV and furthermore, if there were gender differences. Moreover, the students were asked about if they considered any specific need for more knowledge about sexual health issues. The study was performed through a quantitative method, with a cross-sectional studydesign. Secondary data was used from a web-based survey, provided by the County council of Sörmland. Results revealed that the most sought knowledge among students regarding sexual health issues is about STI is infectious, and advises regarding relationships.   Keywords; college students, cross-sectional study, Love Ambassadors, self-efficacy, sexuality, STI. / De hälsorisker som kan förknippas med sexuellt beteende kan förebyggas genom att stärka individens identitet och självkänsla samt förmågan att hantera relationer till andra människor. Att öka kondomanvändningen bland unga och unga vuxna, 15 till 29 år, är ett sätt att minska smittspridningen av klamydia som är den vanligaste förekommande sexuellt överförbara infektionen (STI). Projektet Kärleksambassadörerna verkar på Mälardalens högskola och arbetar enligt metoden peer-to-peer education som innebär att studenter utbildar studenter. I denna studie beskrivs diffusionsteorin som handlar om spridningen av kunskap och self-efficacy som innebär tron på den egna förmågan att kunna påverka händelser som influerar individens liv. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka utsträckning av testningen av STI och hiv bland högskolestudenter och om det fanns könsskillnader samt vilken kunskap om sexuell hälsa som efterfrågas. Som metod valdes en kvantitativ ansats med en tvärsnittsdesign. Sekundär data användes från en webbaserad enkätstudie som tillhandahölls från Landstinget Sörmland. Resultatet visar att den mest efterfrågade kunskapen gällande sexuell hälsa bland studenterna gäller smittvägar för STI och hur man får en relation att fungera bra.      Nyckelord: högskolestudenter, Kärleksambassadörerna, self-efficacy, sexualitet, STI, tvärsnittsstudie.