Self-Efficacy for the Struggling Student

Posting #8 - Dr. Wendy Ghiora

Self-efficacy, the belief in one’s capabilities to achieve a goal, is common in good students, but sorely lacking in struggling students. In my last blog posting, methods for building self-efficacy among average students were presented. Is it possible to foster and promote self-efficacy in struggling students? Let’s consider what we know works in building that self-confidence.

Take a moment, and think about yourself. When you are confident, you feel better equipped to tackle the task at hand. We know when students feel good about themselves, they are much more likely to become better achievers in the classroom. Building students’ confidence by demonstrating an ongoing “can do” attitude and by providing positive feedback along with frequent praise are excellent tools for both teachers and parents. When children feel worthy and good about themselves, it is much easier to inspire them to become academically proficient. So, with the struggling student in mind, what’s the next step in accomplishing this desirable goal?

Our primary concern is the way we provide feedback. Using performance-based or goal-oriented feedback as opposed to person-oriented praise is more effective and more meaningful to the struggling child. In other words, avoid using statements like: ‘I’m proud of you; ‘Wow, you worked hard.’ Instead, use precise statements praising the task or process used. For example, ‘I notice you selected the base cubes to solve that problem, that’s a great strategy.’ ‘I notice that you didn’t make any computational errors this time in the division problem.’ ‘I see you used the dictionary to check your spelling and have no spelling errors today in your essay!’ When using this type of feedback, you’ve addressed self-efficacy and you’ve supported the child’s motivational level for academic goals. The student also perceives it as a more genuine compliment.

Self-efficacy and self-esteem go hand-in-hand. With struggling students especially, these qualities should be priorities in and out of the classroom. As teachers and parents we can support both by practicing as many of the following as possible:

1- Always stress the positive. Have you ever noticed; children suffering from low self-esteem tend to focus on the negative? Ask children to tell you 10 things they like about themselves. Ask what things they can do well; what things they feel good about. Surprisingly, many children with low self-esteem have difficulty with this task. You’ll need to provide prompts. (This is also a great beginning of the year activity.)
2- Avoid criticism. Those suffering with low self-efficacy struggle the most when criticized. Be sensitive to this. Understand that as parents and teachers, you play one of the biggest roles in how good or bad children feel about themselves. Don’t abuse it.
3- Capitalize on students’ interests. Tie the lesson to student interests such as sports, pop culture, current events, music, movies or technology.
4- Expectations must always be realistic. Differentiated instruction (when a teacher proactively plans varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and/or how they can express what they have learned in order to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as he or she can as efficiently as possible.) is key and goes a long way to make certain teachers know their students and ensures expectations match the child’s strengths and ability levels.
5- Remind students that everyone makes mistakes. It’s how those mistakes are handled that makes the difference. We need struggling children to see mistakes as learning opportunities. Powerful learning can often be the result of a mistake made.

Self-efficacy is an important component to almost everything children do. Not only will it help with the academic performance of struggling students, it supports social skills, which makes it easier for children to have and keep friends. Relationships with peers and teachers are usually more positive when backed up with a large dose of self-esteem. Please remember our awesome responsibility as teachers and parents. We have an important role to play that can enhance or damage a struggling child’s self-esteem. Let’s make sure our influence is always elevating and strengthening.

"Confidence is the companion of success." Anonymous

Next Sunday, I will begin a series of postings on best ways to engage students in the learning process.