Malaysian School Counselor’s Self-Efficacy: The Key Roles of Supervisor Support for Training, Mastery Experience, and Access to Training

The concept of self-efficacy has been widely studied and shown to contribute to individuals’ job satisfaction. For counselors, the concept measures their belief in their ability to conduct counseling sessions. However, it is an understudied area. As Bandura states, self-efficacy and its sources should be investigated and measured within its domain, which in this case is school counseling. This study examined the impact on school counselors’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction of the personal and environmental factors: (a) mastery experience, (b) social persuasion, (c) vicarious learning, (d) physiological and affective state, (e) the access to training, and (f) perceived supervisor support of training. The cross-sectional study involved 541 Malaysian secondary school counselors nationwide via a random sampling-distributed questionnaire. Results which were analyzed using PLS-SEM, with importance-performance functionality embedded in it, indicated that mastery experience, access to training, and perceived supervisor support of training explained 45.6% variance in counseling self-efficacy and together with counseling self-efficacy, contributed 13.2% variance in job satisfaction among the school counselors. The importance-performance map analysis revealed supervisor support of training as of greatest importance in shaping counseling self-efficacy. Counseling self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between mastery experience, access to training, supervisor support toward training, and job satisfaction Arising from this finding is a proposed theoretical framework in which efficacy information (i.e., mastery experience), environmental determinants (i.e., access to training and supervisor support of training) and cognitive determinant (i.e., counseling self-efficacy) corresponded together congruently and lead to higher job satisfaction. Suggestions are also made for training providers, content developers, and policymakers to include these factors in professional development training and continuous education, to sustain the wellbeing of school counselors.

Predictive ability of problem-solving efficacy sources on mathematics achievement

<span>This study examined the relationship between mathematics achievement and mathematics problem-solving efficacy sources. A cluster sample of 123 first year prospective teachers of a Philippine higher education institution responded to a 30-item problem-solving efficacy scales and took the teacher-made tests in Mathematics in the Modern World course; namely, Non-Routine Problem Solving and Natures and Numbers Pattern Tracing (NRPS-NNPT), Math Language and Symbols (MLS), and Data Management (DM). The research data was analyzed using Descriptive statistics, Pearson-r and Standard Multiple Regression. On the average, the respondents had satisfactory mathematics achievement. They reported a high level of social persuasion and somatic response and a low level of vicarious experience and mastery experience in mathematics problem-solving. Vicarious experience was directly associated with mastery experience while social persuasion and mastery experience were both inversely related to somatic responses. Among the four problem-solving efficacy sources, only social persuasion significantly predicted mathematics achievement specifically in the areas of NRPS-NNPT, MLS, and DM. Thus, becoming a trusted voice of encouragement and designing a persuasive and optimistic learning environment are highly recommended roles of schools to facilitate students’ mathematics achievement.</span>

Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Cost Accounting

The study examined preservice teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching cost accounting at the pretertiary level. It employed the descriptive cross-sectional survey design involving final year preservice accounting teachers at the University of Cape Coast. An adapted questionnaire referred to as Teacher Self-Efficacy and Mastery Experience Scale (TSEMES) was used to gather relevant data complemented by the academic records of the respondents to address the problem. The return rate of the instrument was 93%. Descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (simple linear regression) were used to analyse the data. The study found out that preservice accounting teachers were highly efficacious in classroom management compared to student engagement and instructional practices. Also, mastery experience had a positive influence on preservice accounting teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching cost accounting. Therefore, it was recommended that accounting teacher educators pay more attention to competencies related to instructional strategies and student engagement by engaging more with the preservice accounting teachers in these areas. In the deployment of teachers, the Ghana Education Service should prioritise preservice accounting teachers with higher academic achievement.

The relationship between music performance anxiety and self-efficacy in sixth- to eighth-grade instrumental students

The purpose of this nonexperimental, quantitative study was to test social cognitive theory as it relates self-efficacy to anxiety. Music performance anxiety (MPA) and music performance self-efficacy (MPSE) were tested within a stratified random sample of Grades 6–8 instrumental music students ( N = 228) enrolled in middle schools located within the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. To determine levels of MPA and MPSE, participants completed the Music Performance Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI-A) and the Music Performance Self-Efficacy Scale (MPSES). A correlational research design was used to test both the strength of the relationship between MPA and MPSE and the extent to which MPA could be predicted by two sources of self-efficacy: mastery experience and verbal/social persuasion. Results revealed a statistically significant, weak negative correlation between MPA and MPSE and a significant predictive relationship between MPA scores and the linear combination of mastery experience and verbal/social persuasion. Recommendations for future research include an investigation into the following: (a) the relationships between verbal/social persuasion and MPA among middle school-aged students, (b) strategies for teaching self-efficacy as a coping mechanism for MPA, and (c) how the relationship between MPA and MPSE is affected by proximity to performance.

Technology Acceptance Behavior and Feedback Loop: Exploring Reverse Causality of TAM in Post-COVID-19 Scenario

In this study, we considered the reverse causality of the technology acceptance model, specifically in the post-COVID-19 scenario. We propose a theoretical model that considers the impact of technology acceptance behaviors after COVID-19 over the beliefs of a user in terms of perceived ease of using technology and its usefulness. More specifically, we suggested that acceptance of technology post-COVID-19 may have influenced many technology-related individual factors such as computer efficacy, mastery experience, and self-regulated learning of users, while using technology that in turn may have affected beliefs of users about ease of using technology. Such an effect is ultimately reflected in the belief of technology usefulness and favorable post-COVID-19 attitude of users toward using technology. We further extend our model to identify mastery orientation of individuals that may moderate the relationship between technology acceptance behaviors and favorable attitude toward using technology in the post-COVID-19 scenario. Both practical and theoretical implications of this perspective are discussed.

The self-efficacy among non-English lecturers in using English as an academic language

The implementation of an English atmosphere will bring abundant impact for all university entities to create a supportive environment in increasing their English competencies. The study aims at investigating the level of self-efficacy among non-English lecturers to use English in any academic setting. The study applied a mixed-method study which formulated a descriptive quantitative analysis and phenomenological approach as a qualitative analysis. The respondents were 19 non-English lecturers of the Physiotherapy program in Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta taken by total sampling; questionnaires were used to collect data quantitatively, and a structured interview was also applied to take qualitative data. The study shows that 50% of lecturers have a moderate rate of self-efficacy in describing their mastery experience although they have a high rate in determining their somatic and emotional states in judging their capability. In addition, vicarious experience does not become a strong predictor in increasing self-efficacy among lecturers. However, rigid policy from the university is the most significant factor in supporting lecturers to use English in academic settings.DOI: 10.26905/enjourme.v6i1.5940

The Relationship Between Sources of Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Mathematics Test and Course Achievement in High School Seniors

In school settings, sources of self-efficacy have the potential to directly and indirectly influence performance. The problem of this study is the direct relationship between sources of self-efficacy and achievement. In connection with this problem, the impact of sources of mathematics self-efficacy on high school senior students’ mathematics test and course achievement was investigated. The study consisted of 257 12th-grade high school students. The findings of the study showed that mathematics course and test performance increased, whereas the scores for mastery experience, social persuasions, vicarious experience, and physiological state increased, too. According to the results of the regression analysis on mathematics course achievement, the mastery experience significantly predicted mathematics course performance. It also explained 56% of the total variance in mathematics achievement. On the contrary, mastery experience, social persuasions, and physiological state significantly predicted mathematics test achievement, as well as explained 27% of the total variance in mathematics test achievement. In conclusion, sources of mathematics self-efficacy have effects on both mathematics test and course achievement.

The relation of attitude towards technology and mastery experience after an app-guided physical exercise intervention: a randomized crossover trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Physical exercise has been found to assert a positive impact on many muscular conditions. Exercise under face-to-face supervision is the gold standard, but access to it is limited for instance for economic reasons. App-guided therapy is an intervention that is more affordable and easier accessible. However, attitude towards technology is a key predictor for media adoption and is therefore expected to shape user-experience during app-guided therapy. This might be of particular importance for mastery experience, which are crucial for promoting exercise-related self-efficacy and perceived usefulness of the interaction. Both should empower patients to continuously exercise. OBJECTIVE This study sought to test whether attitudes towards technology predict mastery experience and perceived usefulness of the interaction after an app-versus a physiotherapist-guided treatment. We expect that attitudes towards technology positively predicts both outcomes in case of the app-guided but not in case of the physiotherapist-guided treatment. METHODS Patients (N = 54) with clinically diagnosed hip osteoarthritis participated in two training sessions with the same exercise intervention, once guided by an app on a tablet computer and once guided by a physiotherapist in a German university hospital. The order of the sessions was randomized. Attitude towards technology was assessed as predictor before the first session, mastery experience and the global perceived usefulness of interaction as self-reported outcomes after each session. RESULTS In line with our hypotheses, attitude towards technology predicted mastery experience (b = .16, SE = .07, P = .02) and usefulness of interaction (b = .17, SE = .06, P = .01) after the app-based training but not after the training delivered by a physiotherapist (Ps > .3). Mastery experience was lower for the app-based training but reached a very similar level as the physiotherapist-guided training for those holding a very positive attitude towards technology. CONCLUSIONS The attitude towards technology predicts the extent of mastery experience after app-guided exercise therapy. As mastery experience are highly important for self-efficacy and future exercise behavior, attitudes towards technology should be considered when delivering app-guided exercise treatments. CLINICALTRIAL German Clinical Trial Register number: DRKS00015759

Developing a Model of Graduate Teaching Assistant Teacher Efficacy: How Do High and Low Teacher Efficacy Teaching Assistants Compare?

This study identifies factors that influence the development of teacher efficacy in STEM graduate teaching assistants over the course of one semester. Those with high teacher efficacy draw upon mastery experience, vicarious experience, and verbal and social persuasions from reliable sources, such as professors and accomplished peers.

Identification of Perceived Self-Efficacy to Predict Student’s Awareness in Career Readiness

Research found that self-efficacy has an important role in the development of students’ career cognitive skills. Besides, there still needs further research in self-efficacy, particularly in career readiness. The authors conduct this continuing study is to determine the effect of understanding perceived self-efficacy on student’s awareness in career readiness (mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and emotional arousal). Data collected using a self-report of the Self-Efficacy Scale in Career Readiness (SESCR), semi-structured interview, and observation of student’s behavior between both participants with the high and low level of self-efficacy. In the current study, 100 students involved based on their convenience. Results showed that 66% of participants have a high mastery experience, 69% with high vicarious experience, 76% have a high percentage in social persuasion, and 70% have a high level of emotional arousal to understanding their career readiness. The results also showed perceived self-efficacy predicts student’s awareness of career readiness based on gender.