Self‐efficacy and Student Performance in an Accounting Course

Abstract

Self‐efficacy has been defined as individuals’ beliefs, thoughts, and feelings about their personal capabilities that affect how they function and, which in turn influence their performance (Bandura 1977). Self beliefs can influence behaviour choices, determine the amount of effort needed and for how long, and encourage thought patterns and emotional behaviours necessary to succeed. It is theorised that students with unrealistic expectations (especially overly optimistic expectations) may have difficulty aligning efforts with desired performance levels and, as a result, perform more poorly. In this study, selfefficacy is operationalised as the difference between actual and predicted examination performance. Prediction errors in the final examination marks (MERR) and prediction error in the overall course grade (GERR) of a second year management accounting course are used as measures of Self‐efficacy. Using regression analysis, the results indicate that the efficacy measures are significant and positively related to course performance. This suggests that students who are more conservative in their expectations of the course results perform better than those who are more optimistic. The findings also showed that student characteristics of previous academic achievements (CGPA) and hours of study per week (HRWK) explained more that 40 per cent of the variations in the self‐efficacy measures. The higher a student’s CGPA, the more conservative or cautious he is in the prediction of his final course performance. The more pessimistic a student is of his final course performance, the lower the number of hours he estimates for studying the course.

Citation

Lai Mooi, T. (2006), "Self‐efficacy and Student Performance in an Accounting Course", Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 129-146. https://doi.org/10.1108/19852510680001586