INTRODUCTION: MOTIVATION AND SELF-EFFICACY BELIEF

The opportunity to compile this issue of Reading and Writing Quarterly came as a result of an article published in The Clearing House (Jinks & Morgan, 1999). In that piece, we argued that self-efficacy belief is antecedent to academic success because it motivates behavior (primarily perseverance) that leads to success. Furthermore, we advocated that teachers engage in self-efficacy enhancement as a way to increase student achievement, and we submitted that such enhancement would be especially effective with students who are underachieving. As a result of these ideas, the journal’s editor invited us to develop a special theme issue on motivation. Given Reading and Writing Quarterly’s readership, we chose to focus on the relationship between self-efficacy perception and motivation for reading and writing learning. This relationship is explored in considerable detail in the articles of this issue, but to introduce the topic, we felt it would be worthwhile to establish a practical context for the reader. We selected a literary device, the scenario, to set the stage for reflecting upon self-efficacy and motivation as discussed by our authors. In the first scenario, one can see reflections of current practice that views students as rather uncomplicated entities pushed hither and yon by external forces. The teacher, being one of those forces, is in competition with the broader world and all-too-often perceives fighting a losing battle to engage their students. In the second scenario, a very different picture of the students is presented. Here, we see the students as dynamic, highly influential players in the learning environment. The youngsters’ self-perceptions lead them to engagement, or non-engagement, rather than the direct manipulations of the teacher. In the third scenario, we present a reflection of a learning environment based more upon this perception of students.