Well Recovered and More Creative? A Longitudinal Study on the Relationship Between Vacation and Creativity

The aim of this study was to investigate employees’ self-reported creativity before and after vacation and to examine the impact of recovery experiences (detachment, relaxation, mastery, meaning, autonomy, affiliation) on changes in creativity. The DRAMMA model of Newman et al. provides the theoretical background of our approach. Longitudinal data was assessed with four repeated measurements. The study encompassed data from 274 white-collar workers. Analyses showed that employees subjectively perceive their creativity to benefit not immediately after their vacation but 2 weeks later. Detachment was significantly related to lower creativity within persons, while mastery experiences explained differences in creativity between persons. This study provides a detailed picture of changes in creativity around vacations.

Putting the Self in Self-Efficacy: Personal Factors in the Development of Early Teacher Self-Efficacy

The factors that influence the construction of a teacher’s sense of self-efficacy are complex. The authors used a qualitative research design to explore the reflections of a sample of 25 K-12 early career teachers as they made sense of their own abilities. The results show that theorized sources of self-efficacy—mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion—all remain important but are interpreted through each participant’s unique background and conception of identity. Teacher Self-Efficacy emerged as a construct that both influenced and was influenced by this collection of individual factors. This study provides insight into how each teacher’s unique experiences interact dynamically with school environments and personal stories to shape their sense of self-efficacy. The findings can influence how new teachers are supported by coaches and teacher educators to build the confidence and motivation necessary to persist through the challenges of teaching.

Ontwikkeling van Begrijpelijke Definities en Operationalisatieinstructies voor Constructen binnen de Theorie van Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy is een robuuste voorspeller als het gaat om (gezondheids)gedrag en de theorie van self-efficacy wordt daarom vooral ingezet voor effectieve preventie. Ondanks het belang en de noodzaak van de theorie, is er in de psychologie een gebrek aan eenduidigheid van definities en operationalisaties. Er zijn in de literatuur veel verschillende constructen met (deels of geheel) dezelfde inhoud, en daartegenover worden dezelfde constructen in verschillende theorieën anders gedefinieerd. Dit geeft problemen in het trekken van conclusies, als het immers niet duidelijk is welke precieze definitie wordt aangehouden. Bovendien zijn definities van constructen die deel uitmaken van de theorie van self-efficacy, vaak te beknopt en vaag beschreven in de literatuur, zo ook de oorspronkelijke definities van de constructen van de theorie van self-efficacy. Conceptuele onduidelijkheid heeft een grote heterogeniteit aan meetinstrumenten tot gevolg. In deze thesis zijn definities van de constructen general self-efficacy, specific self-efficacy, outcome expectancy en enactive mastery experiences zo eenduidig en uitgebreid mogelijk gedefinieerd, waarbij ook de grenzen zijn afgebakend van waar de constructen niet over gaan. Bovendien zijn er instructies beschreven voor het ontwikkelen van meetinstrumenten voor de constructen. Dit alles is beschreven door middel van het format Decentralized Construct Taxonomies. Oorspronkelijke definities van de constructen bleken erg summier. Veelgebruikte meetinstrumenten voor de constructen bleken niet geheel geschikt voor de hier ontwikkelde definities, en daarom zijn in deze thesis gedetailleerde instructies beschreven voor het ontwikkelen van meetinstrumenten voor deze constructen.

Benefits of Integrating an Explicit Self-Efficacy Intervention With Calculation Strategy Training for Low-Performing Elementary Students

This study examined the malleability of math self-efficacy (SE) among children with poor calculation fluency via an intervention that targeted four sources of SE (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasions, and emotional and physiological states). The effect of pure strategy training was contrasted with an intervention that integrated strategy training and explicit SE support. Moreover, the changes in SE source experiences and their relation with math SE, as well as the relation between math-SE profiles and calculation fluency development, were examined. In a quasi-experimental design, 60 Finnish children with calculation fluency problems in Grades 2 to 4 participated in strategy training (N = 38) or in an intervention that integrated SE support with strategy training (N = 32) for 12 weeks. The results showed that the explicit SE intervention integrated with strategy training enhanced math SE among children with poor calculation fluency and low SE (effect size, r = 0.61). Changes in mastery experiences and social persuasions were positively associated with changes in math SE among children who received the explicit SE intervention. An initially high math-SE profile and a profile indicating an increase from low to high math SE were related to growth in calculation fluency that approached the children's average age level during the interventions. In conclusion, an integrated approach that combined skill training and SE intervention was especially beneficial for children with poor calculation fluency and low math SE.

Sources of Speaking EFL Self-Efficacy of Japanese University Students

Raising the English-speaking fluency of university graduates is a key concern. The ability to communicate in English serves as a gateway to global education and employment opportunities, at the same time, the English level of Japanese is one of the lowest in Asia. Self-efficacy, which is a person’s confidence in their abilities to complete a specific task, may help in understanding why. It is formed through the interpretation of learning experiences and is a predictor of academic success. However, its role in EFL speaking in Japan remains under-researched. Consequently, in this study 15 university students were interviewed about their EFL speaking learning experiences at junior and senior high school in relation to sources of self-efficacy. Findings suggest a tendency for passive speaking mastery experiences, insufficient peer modelling and a strong preference from students for more communicative activities. 大学卒業者の英語力の向上は重要な課題である。英語でのコミュニケーション能力は、グローバルな教育や雇用機会への入り口となるが、一方で日本人の英語レベルはアジアでも最低レベルである。その理由を理解するには、特定の課題を成功させるための自己効力感（self-efficacy）が役立つかもしれない。自己効力感は学習経験の解釈を通して形成され、学業の成功を予測するものである。しかし、日本のEFL スピーキングにおけるその役割については、まだ十分な研究がなされていない。そこで本研究では、15 名の大学生を対象に、中学・高校でのEFL スピーキングの学習経験と自己効力感との関連についてインタビューを行った。その結果、学生には受動的なスピーキング習得の傾向がみられ、ピア・モデリングが不十分であり、学生がより多くのコミュニケーション活動を好む傾向があることが示唆された。

Does teachers' self-efficacy influence their organizational commitment?

Self-efficacy has become the focus of attention in the field of teaching. Teachers with higher teaching efficacy portray more enthusiasm for teaching and have greater commitment to teaching. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether self-efficacy has an influence on teachers’ organizational commitment (OC). This study hypothesized that teachers’ self-efficacy would have no significant relationship on teachers’ organizational commitment. The study employed survey research design to establish the relationship between self-efficacy and teachers’ OC. Simple random sampling was employed to draw a study population of 480 teachers in secondary schools in Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, and Kiambu counties in Kenya. The method of data collection was through the use of questionnaires which were distributed randomly to respondents. The data was analyzed through descriptive, correlation and regression analysis. The study established that teachers’ self-efficacy had positive influence on their OC which indicates that teachers with high self-efficacy were more committed to their institutions. The study recommends that teachers’ employer should provide new teachers with guided mastery experiences and come up with ways of building their self-efficacy in order to improve their OC. The study suggests further research on the effect of teachers’ self-efficacy on students’ achievements.

Supporting students with resits to build self-efficacy

This project explores the experiences of second-year students on Business School programmes regarding the support available to them in relation to resits in year one. The project involves students as partners in their learning, with data collected via interviews and student discussion forums. Findings are that students who are preparing for resit exams like to use question practice in the resit period to provide mastery experiences which build self-efficacy. We find that students may undervalue feedback on an original submission as a source of guidance towards a resit coursework. The fieldwork was completed before the 2020 campus closure necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, based on our findings, we suggest recommendations for practice which can be applied for both on-campus and online delivery of our programmes.Keywords: Business Education, exams, inclusivity, mastery experiences, resits, self-efficacy

The Comparison of Students’ Perceived Levels of Self-Efficacy in Live, Online and Live Online Courses

Education during COVID-19 pandemic has been greatly disrupted. While live courses where students meet face-to-face in classrooms are physically limited, online courses become more popular where students learn from pre-recorded videos at their own pace. In contrast, live online courses are learning modes where students and teachers meet via webinar tools such as zoom, skype, google meet, webex, teams, to name a few. This study compared students’ perceived levels of self-efficacy in these three different settings. Self-efficacy is defined as belief in one’s own ability to accomplish a task, which can be influenced by mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, and physiological states. An online questionnaire with 12 closed-ended statements based on a 5-Likert scale was developed, representing the four factors in the three modes of learning. A total of 105 voluntary responses were received. Statistical differences in the mean scores were determined by a paired sample t-test. The results at the significance level of 95% showed that the mean score of mastery experiences was the greatest in live courses (4.5), followed by live online (4.4) and online courses (3.3). The same was observed in vicarious experiences where live courses gained the greatest mean (4.5), followed by live online (4.3) and online courses (1.7). The means of verbal persuasion between live (4.5) and live online courses (4.3) did not differ significantly, but the lowest was in online courses (1.6). Interestingly, the reverse trend was found in psychological states in which the greatest was found in online (4.7), followed by live online (4.5) and live courses (3.6). The analysis above was based upon students who had no technical difficulties to access live online courses. However, this may not be applicable to contexts where internet connect is problematic. For educational implications, the findings revealed that live online courses are proven to be the most appropriate mode of learning during the pandemic. In contrast, online courses are associated with lower levels of mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion perceived by learners; whereas live courses lowered psychological states.

Faculty Views of Online Competency-Based Education, Self-Efficacy, and Institutional Support

Competency-based education (CBE) is essentially an online approach to teaching and learning featuring flexible pacing, robust competencies, and an emphasis on student completion. CBE’s differs from traditional education that focuses on seat time, credit hours, and academic objectives. Though CBE has existed on college campuses in many forms, faculty are often inexperienced in teaching CBE. Facing growing demands for CBE (notably from non-traditional students), institutions must find ways to prepare faculty to take part in CBE. This mixed methods study explored faculty views of CBE, their self-efficacy, and beliefs about support mechanisms needed for those teaching and delivering CBE. Findings suggest faculty have mixed views of CBE, generally high self-efficacy due to the importance of mastery experiences, and believe in the importance of specific learning opportunities in an environment built on collaboration to ensure CBE faculty are supported and can thrive. Findings can inform current and future CBE practicing institutions to ensure faculty are trained and capable in an environment of collaboration.

Exploring the sources of self-efficacy by Flemish school principals in primary education

Self-efficacy is a perceived judgment that one has the ability to execute a course of action that brings about a desired result. While a growing body of research demonstrates the importance of self-efficacy by school leaders, little is known about the different sources of principals’ self-efficacy. This qualitative study investigates the relevance of Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy and on potential additional sources. The analysis is based on semi-structured interviews with 23 primary school principals in Flanders (Belgium). The results reveal that mastery experiences prove to be the most powerful source of principal self-efficacy although they are mainly small successes and do not refer to extraordinary achievements or excellent results. This study also emphasizes the importance of verbal or social persuasion and gaining knowledge. Suggestions for further research, limitations and implications of this study are discussed.