Laura K Spencer, Ed.D.

Tag: self-efficacy

  • Use the [Internal] Force, Luke!

    When people feel like they can experience success in a situation, they have more reason to put forth the effort to do so. If they feel like a situation is hopeless, or out of their control, why bother? This is the concept behind Attribution Theory. In other words, if I work hard (internal) at this, will I succeed? Or should I not bother because I know my boss never likes anything I do (external)?

    This is why Carol Dweck is so popular in education circles. Dweck states that “individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts). This is because they worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning.”

    Basically, people with a growth mindset use an internal locus of control to explain their successes and failures. Therefore, they are more motivated to put forth the effort needed to learn.

    Use the Internal Force, Luke

    In my post “I Believe in 28 out of 36 of You” I discussed Bandura and his research which shows how beliefs impact action. And that people with self-efficacy set their sights higher, try harder, persevere longer, and show more resilience in the face of failure. Sounds pretty internal, right? Not much to attribute to external forces there.

    So when we talk about students and goals, how we frame the conversation has a profound impact not only on our perceived ability in their success, but also their own perceived ability in their success, which ultimately creates the conditions to internally and externally impact their success.

    If we say 28 out of 36 students will pass, we can easily attribute the eight failures to external causes such as poverty or already being academically deficient when they walked in the door. But when our goal is for all students to increase their score by 20 points, external factors don’t carry the same weight. The goal requires an intentional, unrelenting focus on internal causes … on effort and belief and efficacy … for every student to feel and achieve success.

  • I Believe in 28 out of 36 of You

    16fa322b0d2a7149cdb9f62c483751e4World renowned psychologist and Stanford professor Albert Bandura has shown through his body of research that “our belief systems affect our actions, goals, and perception. Individuals who come to believe that they can effect change are more likely to accomplish what they set out to do… People with self-efficacy set their sights higher, try harder, persevere longer, and show more resilience in the face of failure.” (Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by David Kelley)

    Knowing that belief systems affect actions and that self-efficacy impacts perseverance, it becomes important to consider how we define goals. Consider, for example, the doctor that you visit for excruciating stomach pain. If the doctor’s performance goal was to identify and treat the pain in 75% of her patients, would you feel comfortable seeing her for your appointment? What if the doctor next door said that his goal was that 100% of his patients would experience a 75% or greater reduction in the pain? Which door would you choose?

    When we discuss student learning and growth targets, do we truly believe that all children are capable… of learning? Of achieving? Of finding success? Do our student targets reflect that?

    Proficiency Target: 28 of the 36 students in my class will receive a score of “Standard Met” on the CAASPP state assessment.

    When meeting parents at Back to School night, are you comfortable telling parents that eight of them have children who won’t have a successful year? Are you comfortable telling the students that?

    Growth Target: All students will increase their pre-assessment scores by 20 points on the post-assessment.

    When meeting parents at Back to School night, are you comfortable telling parents that, regardless of their child’s current academic level, each child will show marked growth during the school year? Are you comfortable telling the students that?

    Belief systems affects our actions.

    A team of psychologists from Stanford, Yale, and Columbia tested the effects of feedback provided on an essay. They found that one particular form of feedback significantly boosted student effort and performance. This “magical feedback” (as they deemed it) had nothing to do with writing. It simply said:

    “I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know you can reach them.”

    That’s it. One simple sentence, showing belief in the student, had more impact than any specific writing feedback. So when considering how we create and communicate student growth and proficiency targets, how do we ensure that actions, goals, and perceptions build a positive belief system? How are you building self-efficacy?

    Sign up to receive an update when I post. Type your email address in the box and click the “Subscribe” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.