Studentsf
Self-efficacy in Their Self-regulated Learning Strategies: A Developmental
Perspective
F. Pajares & G. Valiante |
The
purpose of this study was to provide a developmental perspective
on students' self-efficacy in their self-regulatory learning strategies
using data obtained from cohort groups of students ranging from age
9 to 17 (N 1257), to determine whether this confidence differs as
a function of gender, and to discover whether these differences are
a function of gender orientation beliefs rather than of gender. Confidence
in self-regulation decreased as students progressed from elementary
school to high school, and the decrease was steeper than a similar
decrease in self-perceptions of academic competence. Gender differences
favored girls, but these differences were rendered nonsignificant
when gender orientation beliefs were controlled. Instead, a feminine
orientation was particularly adaptive. Findings support the contentions
of researchers who have argued that gender differences in academic
motivation may be a function of the stereotypical beliefs that students
hold about gender. Key words: self-efficacy, self-efficacy for self-regulation, self-regulated learning, gender differences in academic motivation, academic motivation |