Abstract
The purpose of this article is to bring to the attention of educators interested in student perceptions of the learning environment the concept of self-efficacy. Social learning theorists define perceived self-efficacy as a sense of confidence regarding the performance of specific tasks. Our premise is that student self-efficacy beliefs regarding academic performance can have important implications for improving learning environments and, consequently, student outcomes. We believe that focusing on students' academic self-efficacy could alter student perceptions of the learning environment. Unlike most beliefs systems, which can be highly personal, academic self-efficacy is generally a belief that is addressable in a classroom context. Therefore, understanding more about the reciprocal relationship between the learning environment and students' academic self-efficacy beliefs should be a fruitful focus for learning environment research.
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Lorsbach, A., Jinks, J. Self-efficacy Theory and Learning Environment Research. Learning Environments Research 2, 157–167 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009902810926
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009902810926