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written by Christine Lindstrøm and Manjula Devi Sharma
Self-efficacy represents a person's belief that he or she can perform a particular task. It has been found to correlate with academic achievement and people's choice of subjects and career. While relatively widely studied, self-efficacy has not received much attention in tertiary physics. Therefore, we adapted and validated a short Physics Self-Efficacy Questionnaire before administering it four times in one year to the first-year physics cohort at the University of Sydney (N between 122 and 281). Investigating whether gender and prior formal physics instruction mattered to students' physics self-efficacy, we found that both showed a significant effect. Females consistently reported lower self-efficacy than males, and males with no prior formal physics instruction showed the highest self-efficacy of any subgroup, suggesting a 'male overconfidence syndrome'. Investigating correlations between students' physics self-efficacy and end-of-semester physics examination scores, these only seemed to develop after a relatively long time of physics study (of the order of a year or more); females developed such a correlation faster than males. We conclude that gender and prior formal instruction in physics do matter when studying physics self-efficacy, which may have important consequences both for the study of self-efficacy itself, and for the way tertiary physics is taught.
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Cognition
- Sample Population
= Gender
- Societal Issues
= Gender Issues
- Student Characteristics
= Affect
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Article
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© 2011 International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education
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Metadata instance created October 9, 2015 by Deleted User
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August 10, 2020 by Lyle Barbato
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AIP Format
C. Lindstrøm and M. Sharma, , Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ. 19 (2), 1 (2011), WWW Document, (https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/viewFile/4770/5767).
AJP/PRST-PER
C. Lindstrøm and M. Sharma, Self-Efficacy of First Year University Physics Students: Do Gender and Prior Formal Instruction in Physics Matter?, Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ. 19 (2), 1 (2011), <https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/viewFile/4770/5767>.
APA Format
Lindstrøm, C., & Sharma, M. (2011). Self-Efficacy of First Year University Physics Students: Do Gender and Prior Formal Instruction in Physics Matter?. Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ., 19(2), 1-19. Retrieved November 8, 2024, from https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/viewFile/4770/5767
Chicago Format
Lindstrøm, Christine, and Manjula Sharma. "Self-Efficacy of First Year University Physics Students: Do Gender and Prior Formal Instruction in Physics Matter?." Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ. 19, no. 2, (2011): 1-19, https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/viewFile/4770/5767 (accessed 8 November 2024).
MLA Format
Lindstrøm, Christine, and Manjula Sharma. "Self-Efficacy of First Year University Physics Students: Do Gender and Prior Formal Instruction in Physics Matter?." Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ. 19.2 (2011): 1-19. 8 Nov. 2024 <https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/viewFile/4770/5767>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Christine Lindstrøm and Manjula Sharma", Title = {Self-Efficacy of First Year University Physics Students: Do Gender and Prior Formal Instruction in Physics Matter?}, Journal = {Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ.}, Volume = {19}, Number = {2}, Pages = {1-19}, Year = {2011} }
Refer Export Format

%A Christine Lindstrøm %A Manjula Sharma %T Self-Efficacy of First Year University Physics Students: Do Gender and Prior Formal Instruction in Physics Matter? %J Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ. %V 19 %N 2 %D 2011 %P 1-19 %U https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/viewFile/4770/5767 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Lindstrøm, Christine %A Sharma, Manjula %D 2011 %T Self-Efficacy of First Year University Physics Students: Do Gender and Prior Formal Instruction in Physics Matter? %J Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Educ. %V 19 %N 2 %P 1-19 %U https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/viewFile/4770/5767


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