Several conclusions were made about students and self efficacy in the article that I read. One belief is that self image or esteem varies differently from the idea of self-efficacy in that self-efficacy is a much better predictor of academic success. It was also concluded that self efficacy has directly affected improvements in students' learning. I would like to discuss these two ideas.

First, it was stated that self efficacy was a much better predictor of academic success than self esteem. I'm not sure if I agree with how they came up with this conclusion. It seemed like the questions that they asked students were weighted so that it would seem like self efficacy was in fact a better predictor. For instance, if you ask a high school student if he or she is good at math and they are currently having difficulty in the class, then they will most likely say "no." Throughout time they will probably be able to figure out the problems, although they stated they were bad at math. The idea that self efficacy predicts academic success better however was tested by asking the students more specific questions. The same student in the previous scenario given the question of whether or not they could solve an advanced calculus problem by the end of the semester would most likely say "no." This is a fairly obvious answer for a high school student, and of course it will accurately measure academic success. The question I pose here is why are self esteem and self efficacy even being compared, when the outcome seems so obvious?

As for the idea that self efficacy is related to improvements in students academics, this seems rather obvious as well. Students who set goals and time frames for themselves will much more likely do better in school than those who don't. I believe this self efficacious ideal can be carried out in all walks of life. Persons who set goals for themselves early in life tend to carry that attitude as they mature. Self efficacy is definitely an attitude that good students tend to have. Although not stated in the article, I believe that students need to be taught this attitude at a young age.

This article showed the correlation between students who are efficacious and self-regulated. It explained briefly what it is to be self-efficacious, but was lacking in depth. Here are some links to better understand self-efficacy and the Social Cognitive Theory.

http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/eff.html

http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/self-efficacy.html

http://www.nwrel.org/planning/reports/self-direct/