Explored the relation of self-efficacy beliefs to inventoried vocational interests in 70 science and engineering students in a career planning course, using the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory and measures of perceived ability to complete the educational requirements of science and engineering fields. Findings indicated significant correlations…

Assesses the prevalence of self-related affects in achievement situations by asking basketball players to recall and indicate the importance of critical incidents in their sport careers. Examines the impact of success and failure, and the effects of situational factors on the prevalence of self-related affects. Self-related affects are linked to…

A middle school teacher describes her experiences after being awarded a one-year grant to write curriculum, highlighting the process of scholarship. Her curriculum project concerned early adolescent females' self-efficacy, so she studied feminism in all its varieties. The paper describes her feelings about the beauty and importance of scholarship.…

Examined 295 African-American adolescents' degree of social support, attitudes regarding health beliefs and condoms, AIDS knowledge and risk, self-efficacy, and sexual behavior. Found that adolescents with less social support were less knowledgeable about AIDS, held more negative attitudes toward condoms, and were lower in self-efficacy than…

All students, except those who are fundamentally impaired, can achieve at high levels if teachers build students' confidence through positive expectations and a program that helps them develop intellectually and progress academically step by step. Cites some districts' efforts to put this belief into practice. (MLF)

Study investigated relationships between secondary students' school achievement, leisure activities, and motivation. Leisure activity variables predicted school achievement but were weak compared to motivation variables, which were weak compared to goals for college. Number of leisure activities and hours spent in leisure activities correlated…

Investigated effect of cognitive-behavioral treatment adherence intervention in course of criticism skill group training program. Assigned 86 participants to treatment condition with or without adherence intervention or to control. Results suggest that adherence activities facilitated arousal optimal to greater program attendance and outcome gains…

Discusses research results concerning the attitudes of Berlin children. Reports that the east Berlin children expressed less faith in self-efficacy than did their western counterparts. Explains that west Berliners were more likely to think they could influence their school performance. Suggests that attitude differences may be partly due to…

Reports a study that examined the effects of modification of basketball size and basket height on shooting performance and self-efficacy of children ages 9-12 years. Subjects completed a self-efficacy questionnaire before and after shooting 10 baskets under 4 conditions. Self-efficacy was highest when children shot at a lower basket. (SM)

A study of 78 graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) found that those with exposure to prior training and higher amounts of teaching experience demonstrated higher self-efficacy than those with less training and experience. It is suggested that these factors may increase teaching assistant effectiveness and that both formal and on-the-job training of…

Presents four studies using a criterion measure of political activity to compare overall (locus of control), political, and situation-specific believed efficacy. Reports that the more situation specific the feelings of efficacy, the greater the predictability of political behavior. Concludes that even situation-specific efficacy did not predict…

A new conceptualization of perceived control was used to test a process model describing the contribution of these perceptions to school achievement for 220 third through sixth grade students. Twelve teachers also participated. Three sets of expectations have implications for theories of perceived control and enhancement of student motivation.…

Study explored possible correlates of both vigorous physical activity and walking for exercise in 127 middle-class, healthy adult Latinos. Questionnaire results indicate correlates of physical activity are different for Latinos than for Anglos. Important variables associated with vigorous activity are self-efficacy, friends' support, childhood…

A study of 55 religious school teachers examined the relationship between general and personal efficacy and several measures of teachers' orientations toward management, control, and student motivation. Results suggest that the greater the teacher's sense of personal efficacy, the more humanistic the teacher's pupil control orientation.…

Assigned college student subjects (N=149) to verbal or mathematics and success or failure conditions to test hypothesis from self-efficacy theory. Changes in task self-efficacy and interest resulting from task success or failure were in accordance with predictions. Task performance effects generalized to global mathematics and verbal ability…