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Chinese undergraduates’ sources of self-efficacy differ by sibling status, achievement, and fear of failure along two pathways

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Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigated the sources of self-efficacy reported by Chinese undergraduate students and the related role of individual differences. One hundred and fifty-six Chinese students completed a questionnaire and open-ended responses, citing the factors that contributed to feelings of greater confidence and lesser confidence. After qualitatively coding their responses, we found that students shared diverse perspectives regarding antecedents of what made them more and less confident. Quantitative analyses revealed differences in the types and frequencies of sources of self-efficacy when considering increases or decreases in confidence, and individual characteristics such as GPA, only child status, and fear of failure. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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Notes

  1. GPAs range from 0 to 100% in China. This is the traditionally accepted GPA for high performing students, especially for those interested in graduate or professional school

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge members of Shengjie Lin’s thesis committee Diane L. Schallert and Toni Falbo for helpful comments regarding the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Shengjie Lin & Yidan Wang

  2. Department of Educational Administration, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Carlton J. Fong

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  1. Shengjie Lin
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  2. Carlton J. Fong
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Correspondence to Shengjie Lin.

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This article is based on the master’s thesis work of Shengjie Lin.

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Lin, S., Fong, C.J. & Wang, Y. Chinese undergraduates’ sources of self-efficacy differ by sibling status, achievement, and fear of failure along two pathways. Soc Psychol Educ 20, 361–386 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-017-9367-0

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