Concepts

Self-efficacy

Belief about being able to carry out a particular course of action.

Definition

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their capability to execute actions needed for a task or goal in a specified situation.

How to understand it

In Bandura’s social-cognitive approach, beliefs about capability help explain choices, effort, and persistence. Self-efficacy is specific enough to vary across tasks and conditions. It concerns perceived capability, which can differ from demonstrated skill, rather than a global judgment that one is a worthy person.

A useful description names the action and its conditions: presenting familiar material to five classmates differs from answering unexpected questions before a large audience. That precision makes a confidence claim interpretable. It also leaves room to examine whether the person’s judgment is well calibrated to the task and available support.

Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020); (Maddux and Kleiman, Self-Efficacy, n.d.)

Confidence with a new tool

Teaching scenario

In an invented archive workshop, Lina knows the catalog well but doubts that she can demonstrate its search functions live. She believes she can explain the same functions in a written guide. Her two judgments illustrate different self-efficacy beliefs rather than two levels of personal worth. A successful rehearsal might give her new evidence, but the scenario does not guarantee a confidence change or a better performance. Observing her skill separately would help distinguish what she can currently do from what she believes she can do.

Constructed for learning. This scenario is not a report of an empirical finding or a diagnosis.

Common confusion: Self-concept

Self-efficacy asks whether one can perform particular actions; self-concept includes broader descriptions and beliefs about who one is.

Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020); (Maddux and Kleiman, Self-Efficacy, n.d.)

Limits of the concept

  • Belief in capability does not substitute for competence or opportunity.
  • Confidence in one domain should not be generalized to every task.

Evidence: (Spielman et al., 2020); (Maddux and Kleiman, Self-Efficacy, n.d.)

Textbook connection

Direct coveragePsychology 2e: 11.4 Learning Approaches

The subsection explicitly discusses this concept.

Supplementary concepts may extend beyond this section. The source notes below identify the evidence for those details.

Related concepts

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Sources and inspection notes

Checked October 21, 2026. An inspection date is not a source publication date. Definitions and scenarios on this page are original teaching explanations.

  1. Maddux and kleiman, self-efficacy. (n.d.). https://nobaproject.com/modules/self-efficacyExpert-authored academic teaching module

    Introduction and distinctions from ability and self-esteem checked. Inspected on 21 October 2026.

  2. Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/11-4-learning-approachesCourse textbook subsection

    Title, URL, and relevant subsection text inspected on 21 October 2026. Used for concept checking and course navigation; no textbook exercises or illustrations reproduced.