Perceived self-efficacy amongst preschoolers: Some methodological variations on themes from Bandura’s theory ; Trú leikskólabarna á eigin getu: Nokkur tilbrigði við aðferðafræðileg stef úr kenningu Bandura

This paper has a multidimensional and interdisciplinary focus, which aims to integrate insights from preschool studies, philosophy and methodology. The basic research question is: How is it possible to conduct research into preschoolers’ perceived selfefficacy, in line with Bandura’s theory, and what are its methodological implications for self-efficacy studies in general? The nuts and bolts of Bandura’s theory are first explained: in particular how it distinguishes itself from self-esteem theories, and how its object is basically what in everyday parlance is called “self-confidence”, although Bandura decided to coin the neologism “perceived self-efficacy” to capture its essence better and to avoid conflation with selfesteem. According to this theory, the self-efficacy of a person (P) vis-à-vis a task (T) – a student’s self-efficacy with respect to a given assignment, for instance – substantially influences the course of action P chooses to pursue, how much effort P puts forth, how long P perseveres in the face of obstacles and failures, the levels of stress P experiences in coping with T and, ultimately, the likelihood of P’s accomplishing T. Bandura argues that self-efficacy is cultivated through (a) enactive mastery experiences, (b) vicarious experiences provided by relevant role models, (c) verbal persuasion and allied types of social influences and (d) intermittent or stable physiological and affective states. This theory falls into the category of so-called anti-realist self-theories (which equate selfhood with self-concept) and its best understood as a variety of psychological attributionism, according to which people tend to act in accordance with the explanations they like to give for their own behaviour and with the attributes they believe they possess, whether or not they actually possess them. Perceived self-efficacy is typically measured by dint of self-reports where people are asked to grade their own self-efficacy in a given domain. Such measures are obviously not applicable to preschoolers due to ...