Written by Lexie Clark
As university students, we become very familiar with challenges, deadlines, and pressure. One concept that can influence your academic success is self-efficacy. But what is self-efficacy and how does it impact us?
Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in their ability to perform a task and achieve specific goals. This psychology-backed concept emphasises that your self-confidence can have a big impact on your performance and motivation. For university students, this can involve various things, such as tackling a challenging assignment, to doing well in exams.
There are two main motivations in self-efficacy: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
- Intrinsic motivation: is driven by internal factors; personal interests, passion, and the sense of achievement you feel from learning. For example, if you enjoy your area of study because it is something that interests you, this motivation can boost your self-efficacy, or belief in your abilities. When you believe in yourself and believe that you will succeed, you’re more likely to persevere through difficulties, take initiative, and generally have better outcomes.
- Extrinsic motivation: on the flip side, extrinsic motivation is driven by external factors; praise, recognition, grades, or the desire to impress others. These can still be powerful motivators in their own right, however, relying on them too heavily can undermine your self-efficacy. People whose self-worth is linked only to external validation may struggle with confidence in their abilities. It is important to balance both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to improve self-efficacy.
Having high self-efficacy helps you to work well under pressure and increases your ability to handle stress. For example, deadlines and presentations can be anxiety-inducing, but you are more likely to get through these challenges if you believe in your ability to achieve these goals. Self-confidence helps you to stay focused, plan effectively and engage in coping strategies to lower stress.
So, how do we improve our self-efficacy?
- Set small, achievable goals (I find it helps to be able to tick these off as you go to increase the satisfaction you feel in achieving a task!)
- Celebrate your progress, no matter how minor. This reinforces your belief in your abilities.
- Reflecting on past accomplishments
- Cultivate a positive mindset (this could be affirmations, daily sunshine and exercise etc).
- Surround yourself with supportive people who encourage your growth and believe in you
Self-efficacy is a powerful tool in your success at university and can help build the confidence you need to believe in yourself and succeed in your academic journey! By balancing both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, you can build your self-efficacy and thrive when challenges come your way. Believing in yourself goes a long way toward achieving your goals!
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative
