🏷️ Concept
Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy — a learner's belief in their capability to successfully perform a task or achieve a goal. Drawing on social cognitive theory (Bandura), self-efficacy shapes motivation, effort, persistence, and learning engagement. In AI in education, self-efficacy matters in two ways: AI tools can build learners' confidence and autonomy (e.g., by providing feedback and scaffolding), and learners' AI self-efficacy — their confidence in using AI technologies — influences how effectively they engage with AI, including how AI-related knowledge translates into career-relevant readiness.
Self-efficacy is distinct from actual competence: it is a belief about capability that drives behaviour. It is closely related to — and often used interchangeably with — the everyday notion of confidence in one's abilities. Self-efficacy connects closely to Motivation, Self Regulated Learning, and Student Experience. In the AI context, AI self-efficacy (confidence in working with AI) is a distinct construct from AI literacy, and research shows it plays a crucial role in whether learners actually activate and apply AI-related knowledge.
How self-efficacy appears in the wiki's research
Self-efficacy connects to Motivation, Self Regulated Learning, Student Experience, AI Literacy, Agency, and Educational Robotics. Building self-efficacy is a key mechanism through which AI supports engagement and learning.