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

Stressrelaterade besvär är ett stort samhällsproblem inte minst bland studenter. Tidigare forskning tyder på att stress är ett multifaktoriellt fenomen. Syftet med studien var att undersöka relationen mellan stress och kön, akademisk self-efficacy, copingstrategier samt fysisk aktivitet. Hundratjugosju högskolestudenter, varav 43 män besvarade en enkät innehållande frågor om kön, fysisk aktivitet, stress, copingstrategier och akademisk self-efficacy. De etablerade instrumenten var: Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Cope och College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale. Resultaten visade att kvinnor upplevde högre grad av stress än män. Resultatet visade positiv korrelation mellan stress och undvikande emotionella copingstrategier. En negativ korrelation visades mellan stress och akademisk self-efficacy, samt mellan stress och problemfokuserade copingstrategier. Vidare resultat visade att akademisk self-efficacy och copingstrategier (problemfokuserade, aktiva emotionella, undvikande emotionella) kunde förklara störst varians i högskolestudenternas upplevda stress. Framtida forskning bör var av kvalitativ karaktär och bedrivas med copingstrategier som utgångspunkt för att fånga individens subjektiva upplevelse av stresshantering.

Enrollment by African American students in U.S. colleges and universities has increased since 2009, but graduation and retention remains low for this group. Within the African American community, education is considered a central aspect of social empowerment; however, the effect of discrimination, bias, and stereotyping are key when considering achievement indices within a cultural framework. The coping mechanisms that African Americans have developed to combat discrimination, bias, and stereotype threat may contribute to poor performance in college. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between racial socialization and African American students' academic motivation, academic self-efficacy, and likelihood of attending graduate school. Drawing from self-determination theory, it was hypothesized that the variables have a positive relationship. A quantitative survey design was used. One hundred-three African American undergraduate students were recruited via convenience sampling to participate in an online survey. Results from a multiple regression analyses indicated no significant relationship between the variables. The findings from this study are not consistent with previous findings that indicate racial socialization has an impact on African Americans' academic performance and motivations, implying the need for future research to include multiple variables that might impact outcomes such as family functioning, access to educational resources, or peer association. Greater numbers of African Americans enrolled in undergraduate programs may, in turn, increase the pool of participants eligible to attend graduate programs. Future research can help parents, researchers, and practitioners better understand the diverse and unique needs of African American youths.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether students' perceptions of the classroom social environment mediate the relations between teacher self-efficacy and student adjustment. Research suggests that early adolescents often experience decreases in engagement and motivation during the middle school years, which can put individuals at risk for academic failure and school dropout (Eccles, Lord, & Midgley, 1991). This occurs due to a mismatch between the individuals' developmental needs and the environment (Eccles et al., 1993). Whether early adolescents remain engaged in school is largely dependent on how they perceive the classroom environment promoted by their teacher (Erikson, 1950; Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Roeser, Eccles & Sameroff, 2000). Additionally, the type of environment teachers promote is based on their assessments of their own teaching abilities (Ashton & Webb,1986; Guskey, 1988; Hall et al., 1992). Therefore, this study describes a model proposing that the classroom social environment (i.e., teacher support, teacher-promoted social interaction and mutual respect) mediates the relation between teacher self -efficacy and student adjustment (i.e., academic and social self-efficacy, classroom engagement, and disruptive behavior). This model was tested via single-level structural equation model with 358 middle school students from an economically and racially diverse sample. This study utilized a single data point from a larger, longitudinal quantitative study which examined student motivation and adjustment across the transition from elementary school into middle school. The study aimed to determine: (1). What is the impact of teacher self-efficacy on students' perception of the classroom social environment? (2).What is the impact of the classroom social environment on students' academic and social self- efficacy, involved behavior, and disruptive behavior? (3). To what extent does the classroom social environment mediate the relation between teacher self-efficacy and student adjustment (i.e., academic and social self efficacy and involved and disruptive behavior). Findings suggest that teacher self-efficacy had minimal impact on classroom social environment and student adjustment variables, and thus may not play a mediating role between these variables. However, findings did indicate a significant, moderate impact of the classroom social environment on student adjustment. This finding aligns with previous research which suggests when the classroom environment provides opportunities for students to develop their academic and social competencies, and when students feel cared for and supported, school adjustment is enhanced (Eccles, Wigfield, & Schiefele, 1998; Roeser et al., 2000). The overall impact of the classroom social environment on student adjustment in this study highlights the need for school psychologists to advocate for the development of middle school environments that meet early adolescents' developmental and basic needs.

<p>Två studier undersökte hur self-efficacy, individens tro på sin förmåga, inverkar på prosocialt beteende i skolmiljö. I Studie 1 besvarade 121 gymnasieelever en enkät, som mätte akademisk och emotionell self-efficacy samt prosocialt beteende. I Studie 2 besvarade 48 gymnasieelever en enkät, som mätte emotionell self-efficacy och prosocialt beteende. Studie 1 visade att akademisk men inte emotionell self-efficacy korrelerade positivt med prosocialt beteende. I begreppet emotionell self-efficacy finns två känsloreaktioner: själv- och andraorienterade. Studie 1 tog hänsyn enbart till självorienterade reaktioner. Eftersom andraorienterade reaktioner saknades, kan det förklara bristen på samband. I Studie 2 korrelerade emotionell self-efficacy positivt med prosocialt beteende, och andraorienterade känsloreaktioner visade sig ha störst betydelse. Andraorienterad emotionell self-efficacy kan antas vara en kraftfull källa till prosocialt beteende i skolmiljö.</p>

Två studier undersökte hur self-efficacy, individens tro på sin förmåga, inverkar på prosocialt beteende i skolmiljö. I Studie 1 besvarade 121 gymnasieelever en enkät, som mätte akademisk och emotionell self-efficacy samt prosocialt beteende. I Studie 2 besvarade 48 gymnasieelever en enkät, som mätte emotionell self-efficacy och prosocialt beteende. Studie 1 visade att akademisk men inte emotionell self-efficacy korrelerade positivt med prosocialt beteende. I begreppet emotionell self-efficacy finns två känsloreaktioner: själv- och andraorienterade. Studie 1 tog hänsyn enbart till självorienterade reaktioner. Eftersom andraorienterade reaktioner saknades, kan det förklara bristen på samband. I Studie 2 korrelerade emotionell self-efficacy positivt med prosocialt beteende, och andraorienterade känsloreaktioner visade sig ha störst betydelse. Andraorienterad emotionell self-efficacy kan antas vara en kraftfull källa till prosocialt beteende i skolmiljö.

The purpose of the present study is to examine the perceived stress of Turkish graduate students in the U.S.A., based on Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Stress, by looking at their perceived social support, academic self-efficacy, length of residence in the United States, gender, age, status in the degree of study, sponsorship, perceived income, previous travel experience, TOEFL scores, and perceived English proficiency. The participants of the study were 276 Turkish graduate students attending colleges and universities in the United States. Four instruments - the demographic information form, the perceived stress scale, the multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and the academic self-efficacy scale - were used. Results showed that predictors explained 38% of the total variance. Among all of the predictors, gender, perceived income and academic self-efficacy significantly contribute to the model. When individual contributions to the predictors were examined, academic self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of the perceived stress. Since academic self-efficacy is the strongest predictor of perceived stress, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to show which variables predict the academic self-efficacy. Gender, perceived income, English proficiency, and social support significantly explain the academic self-efficacy. There were not any significant differences between groups&rsquo / perceived stress scores according to marital status, department type, degree of study and living conditions. The only significant group difference was between students who were working and not working.

The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to measure academic self-efficacy for undergraduates. The theoretical framework of the questionnaire was based on Bandura¡¦s self-efficacy theory. A total of 409 participants were selected by judgment sampling from the first- and second-grade undergraduate of six colleges in national Sun Yat-sen university (Liberal Arts, Science, Engineering, Management, Marine Sciences, and Social Sciences). The newly developed Academic Efficacy and Motivation Questionnaire (AEMQ) was modified and derived from eight related scales. Expert content validity was conducted by three experts in the field, and the data were analyzed by rating scale model (RSM) in ConQuest. The findings were as follows: 1. All the 69 items in AEMQ have good fit values (MNSQ between 0.6 and 1.4). 2. The items of the AEMQ tended to be too easy for participants. 3. The reliability of each dimension of AEMQ was poor. The highest reliability value was 0.575, and the lowest was 0.382. 4. The first dimension ¡§actual performance¡¨ and the second dimension ¡§vicarious experience¡¨ have negative correlation with the forth dimension ¡§psychological index¡¨. The result was consistent with past studies.

Much controversy exists surrounding the education of Hispanic English Language Learners (ELLs). This large and growing group presents significant challenges to educators. Foremost among these challenges is the question of whether bilingual or English-only education is most appropriate for enhancing ELLs? language proficiency and achievement. Despite decades of controversy and research in the field of bilingual education, the debate is ongoing. Additionally, Hispanic ELLs are profoundly affected by other cultural and educational factors. One potentially important factor with limited research involves the academic self-efficacy of ELLs. This study examined the relationship of bilingual and English-only education to Hispanic ELLs? language proficiency, academic achievement, and academic self-efficacy. Participants were eighth-grade Hispanic students from a large southwestern school district. Data were collected from school district records, and a self-efficacy questionnaire was administered to a subsample of students. Analyses included t-tests, ANOVA, ANCOVA, and regression procedures to measure relationships between ELL students who received bilingual education (the Bilingual group) or English-only education (the Mainstream ELL group), as well as a Comparison group of non-ELL Hispanic students. It was hypothesized that the Bilingual group would demonstrate advantages over the other two groups in English proficiency, academic achievement, and academic self-efficacy. Analyses revealed few significant group differences. The Bilingual group did not attain significantly higher English proficiency than the Mainstream ELL group by third grade. The Bilingual group did not demonstrate significantly higher achievement scores than the Mainstream ELL group, but their scores were significantly higher than the Comparison group. There were no significant differences between groups on academic self-efficacy. Regression analyses indicated that the length of time spent in bilingual education did not predict students? language proficiency, achievement, or academic self-efficacy. A final analysis indicated that academic self-efficacy and third grade English proficiency scores were significant predictors of eighth-grade achievement. Conclusions indicate modest benefits for ELL students attending bilingual education, but more advantages may have been evident had more years of bilingual education been provided to students. Clearly, increased attention to academic self-efficacy and English proficiency may be appropriate regardless of the type of educational placement. Further studies should examine other factors affecting the quality of education provided to ELL students.

This study investigated the relationships between early adolescent substance use and perceptions of school climate and attitudes towards school using self-report data from a sample of 443 middle school students. The present study examined school climate and attitudes towards school comprehensively in order to identify important relationships between these classes of variables and multiple types of substance use in early adolescents. The results of the study include that the model of school climate consisting of six factors (fairness, order and discipline, parental involvement, sharing or resources, student interpersonal relations, and student-teacher relations) accurately predicted 11% of the variance in middle school students' alcohol use. Additionally, the study found the model of attitudes towards school consisting of four factors (school satisfaction, academic self-efficacy, school belonging, and goal valuation) accurately predicted 13% of the variance in students' alcohol use and 4% of the variance in students' use of illicit drugs. Substance use was most highly associated with student-teacher relations, academic self-efficacy, and attachment to school. Implications for practice are discussed.