A Study of the Relationship Between Educational Self-Efficacy and Educational Performance Among Social Work Students
To date, several schools of social work have used measures of self-efficacy as an indicator of accomplishment for accreditation standards for CSWE (see the University of Georgia, (http://ssw.uga.edu/pdf/field/SOWK%206055%20Student%20Self-efficacy%20Evaluation.pdf). Holden and colleagues have suggested the use of self-efficacy as a measure of educational outcomes for social work accreditation. Additionally, they developed and validated the Evaluation Self-efficacy Scale. However, there is little research relative to the empirical relationship between self-efficacy and educational performance in social work. The emergent question is whether self-efficacy is a reasonable measure of academic performance for social work students. This study sought to examine this relationship.
Methods
The sample consisted of BSW students enrolled in a research course (n =63) taught by three different instructors and one cohort of MSW students in an organizational practice course (n = 23). Participants were given the Evaluation Self-efficacy Scale (ESES) and a comprehensive exam of course content before and after the course at a university located in the southeastern United States.
Results
Findings indicate that a relationship did not exist between (a) pretest research exam grade and ESES (r = 0.02; p = 0.85), (b) posttest research exam grade and ESES (r = -0.20; p = 0.26), (c) gain on research knowledge and gain on evaluation self-efficacy (r = 0.28; p = 0.12), (d) gain on research knowledge and gain on evaluation self-efficacy when the pretest scores for self-efficacy were taken retrospectively (r = 0.27; p = 0.13). The previous relationships were between general course content self-efficacy and general knowledge of course content. In addition, an examination was undertaken between specific self-efficacy (self-efficacy regarding specific research tasks matched with content items in the exam) and exam knowledge. This was undertaken for one of the three cohorts of the undergraduate research class. These data did not find a significant relationship between specific self-efficacy and specific knowledge on the exam (r = 0.16; p = 0.64). The relationship between performance on a course exam and course content self-efficacy was also examined for one class of graduate students in a course on the organizational context of clinical practice. No relationship was found between content exam knowledge and content self-efficacy (r = 0.26; p = 0.23). Finally, no relationship was found between special content self-efficacy (self-efficacy matched with specific items on the exam) and specific content on the exam (r = 0.06; p = 0.79).
Conclusions and Implications
Findings from this study suggest self-efficacy is not related to academic performance for social work students. Additionally, findings offer implications for the use of self-efficacy as a measure for educational outcomes in this context. However, the results of this study were derived from three classes in undergraduate research and one graduate course on organizational practice and they were all from the same university, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Further testing of the research question on a larger scale is recommended but findings from this study offer valuable insight into the relationship between self-efficacy as a measure of achievement in relation to course outcomes.