Roles of Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Teacher-Student Relationships

By A/P Chong Wan Har
Associate Professor, National Institute of Education - Psychology and Child & Human Development, NIE, NTU
Published: 1 May 2023

Overview

Students perceived self-efficacy in learning and teacher support, make an important contribution to their performance and achievement (Chong, Liem, Huan, Kit, & Ang, 2018). Self-efficacy is the personal beliefs of one's competence as a learner (Bandura, 1995). Efficacious students are known to better regulate their learning activities, master complex learning tasks, persevere in the face of difficulties, influence their academic motivation, interest and achievement performance, manage their emotions in interpersonal relationships and resist peer pressure[REV1]  (Schunk & Mullen, 2012; Wentzel, 2016). These self-efficacy beliefs therefore influence how student thinks, feels, behaves, and self-motivates, and provide a window to understanding individual differences in academic success. Teacher support is "the extent to which students believe in their teachers’ value and seek to establish personal relationships with them" (Ryan & Patrick, 2001, p. 440). Teachers intent for providing support and instrumental help is to promote student’s learning and well-being. The quality of relationship teachers and students share is a key mechanism through which classroom experiences add value to students' capacities in learning and development. It promotes and shapes student expectations by influencing their goals, academic engagement, interests in and values of academic tasks and attributions about sources of success and failures.

In Practice 

In Singapore, there is a tendency for students to appraise their capability to learn and describe their potential for academic growth on the basis of performance-based indicators like grades. Schools and teachers can do more to teach students the skills of self-calibration,[REV2]  such as appraising when and how to use and apply effective strategies with different subject content; and self-management and self-regulatory skills. The Ministry of Education recognizes the importance of teacher-student relationship in shaping student development and wellbeing, and has been instrumental in supporting school efforts in this direction. The Form Teacher Guidance Period (FTGP) in primary schools is an example of such an initiative. At the secondary school level[REV3]  when students are taught more subjects by different teachers with varying interaction patterns (as with subject-based banding), there is less time for purposeful experiences with teacher engagement. There is another group of students who is potentially at risk because of inadequate positive experiences in school with teachers. These varied profiles of students suggest the need for schools to explore ways to help students connect and relate with teachers because good relations mediate school adjustment, engagement and motivation.

Takeaways

Students' success in school are shaped and influenced by multiple contextual factors. It is therefore helpful to think of school prevention and intervention work from a systemic perspective. Both student perceived self-efficacy and teacher support are key enabling processes. Teaching structures, course placement and student's self-regulated learning are important factors related to self-efficacy. Teacher support is a positive asset for those encountering setbacks in learning and has the potential to interrupt a process through which students begin to display disengaging behaviors. Indeed, teacher support and student perceived self-efficacy have been ranked most important for supporting student growth and development.

References

Bandura, A. (Ed.). (1995). Self-Efficacy in changing societies[REV4] . NY: Cambridge University Press.       

Chong, W. H., & Lee, B. O. (2014). Social-emotional learning: Promotion of youth wellbeing in Singapore schools. In K. Wright, & J. McLeod (Eds.), Rethinking youth wellbeing: Critical perspectives. Melbourne: Springer.

Chong, W. H., Liem, G. A. D., Huan, V. S., Kit, P.L., & Ang, R. P. (2018). Student perceptions of self-efficacy and teacher support for learning in fostering youth competencies: Roles of affective and cognitive engagement. Journal of Adolescence, 68(October), 1-11, 1.865.

Chong, W. H., Huan, V. S., Quek, C. L., Yeo, L. S., & Ang, R. P. (2010). Contextual influences on the teacher-student relationship in promoting school adjustment of at-risk students in middle school. School Psychology International, 31(3), 312–328.

Kit, P. L., Liem, G. A. D., & Chong, W. H. (2022). Teacher-student relationship and student engagement: The moderating role of educational hope. Educational Psychology: An International Journal of Experimental Educational Psychology, 42(9), 1180 - 1197, 3.117.

Lee, J. (2014). Universal factors of student achievement in high-performing Eastern and Western countries. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106, 364–374.

Ryan, A. M., & Patrick, H. (2001). The classroom social environment and changes in adolescents' motivation and engagement during middle school. American Educational Research Journal 38, 4

Schunk, D.H., Mullen, C.A. (2012). Self-Efficacy as an Engaged Learner. In: Christenson, S., Reschly, A., Wylie, C. (eds), Handbook of Research on Student Engagement. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_1037–460.

Wentzel, K. R. (2016). Teacher-student relationships. In K. R. Wentzel, & D. B. Miele (Eds.), Handbook of motivation at school (pp. 211–230). (2nd ed.). NY: Routledge.