Revisiting the Within-Person Self-Efficacy and Performance Relation

In response to recent debate regarding the direction of the relation between self-efficacy and performance (Bandura & Locke, 2003; Vancouver, Thompson, Tischner, & Putka, 2002; Vancouver, Thompson, & Williams, 2001), this investigation examines the within-person relations between self-efficacy and performance over time in 2 different learning contexts. Study 1 examines the relation using exam performance in a classroom context, and Study 2 examines the relation using a computerized learning task in a lab setting. Both studies find a significant, positive within-person relation between performance and subsequent self-efficacy. However, both studies fail to find the positive relation between self-efficacy and subsequent performance predicted by social cognitive theory. Future research directions aimed at resolving the debate are discussed.

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