Middle Leader News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Why Self-Efficacy and Dispositions at SSPS will lead to greater success for our students

As suggested in the quote above, how students see themselves as learners contributes greatly to how successful they are at school. In fact, research shows that the belief a child has about their abilities contributes more greatly to their success than actual capability. These ideas centre around self-efficacy, which is a person’s knowledge or belief about how successfully they can produce an outcome.

Children with higher levels of self-efficacy are far more likely to learn and continue to learn for life. They have a bank of strategies, dispositions and beliefs about themselves as learners that they draw on when they are challenged. They persist when things are tough and if they don’t get the answer or result they want, they draw on other dispositions or strategies and try again until they achieve success. Students with low levels of self-efficacy tend to avoid challenges and give up more easily. They are less engaged in the learning process and often don’t participate in discussions. When things are hard, they blame themselves rather than realizing it was their approach to the challenge that made them unsuccessful.

Take for example the task of solving a challenging Math problem. A child with high self-efficacy would first be curious – they could pick apart the question and ask, what am I being asked to solve? Next, they’d draw out key words and have a go at answering the question. When they check it the first time, they’d notice the answer is incorrect. Now, where a student with low self-efficacy would ‘switch off’ to learning, give up and see themselves as ‘bad as Maths’, this student would simply try another way. They know learning is hard but have a belief in themselves, as well as the tools and dispositions that they need to keep trying. So they draw on their determination disposition and re-read the question and try another way to solve the problem. They redo their working out and discover what went wrong the first time. If we can get our children to believe in themselves and use the dispositions to help them in their learning, we can make an incredible difference to how they grow academically. Good at learning, good at life!

Some tips for encouraging self-efficacy at home and school

• Remind your children often that learning is hard and that is ok!
• Talk about the dispositions with your children – ask them which one they could use when they are struggling to do something at home
• Ask your children how they see themselves as learners and encourage positive self-talk
• Don’t wait for your child to be perfect at something to praise them – praise them for getting in and having a go!

Warm Regards

Nicki Prentice