Browsing by Subject "minäpystyvyyden tukeminen"

The school has a significant impact on the development of a child’s self-efficacy that is linked to cognitive abilities (Bandura, 1997). A child’s self-image as a student as well as a person is built through self-efficacy (opetussuunnitelma, 2014, s. 47). Self-efficacy is a concept created by Albert Bandura which means an individual’s belief of their own ability to cope with various situations and has been found to have a broad impact on an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and actions. Recurring failures at school can diminish self-efficacy and have a negative impact on both schooling as well as coping later in life, hence the school has a significant role in the development of a student’s self-efficacy. Therefore, attention should be paid to supporting it. Here the teachers are crucial as they work closely with the students, promoting their learning and participation. The aim of the study is to review teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy and its impact on a student’s schooling and coping later in life as well as examining, whether these perceptions are in line with the current research. In addition, the study aims to find out, how the teachers perceive their own ability to support the self-efficacy of their students as well as the pedagogic methods used by the teachers to accomplish this and if the methods used have been proven to be effective in the studies. The data of the study was collected via thematic interviews conducted in the autumn of 2020. Four teachers of varied backgrounds were selected as interviewees. The interviews were carried out remotely due to the prevalent COVID-19 situation. The collected data was transcribed, and qualitative content analysis was chosen as the methodological approach. Thematic analysis was also used in reviewing the data of the study. According to the results, the teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy were well in line with the current research. Self-efficacy was seen as a significant factor for children’s and young people’s study motivation, development of self-esteem, and overall coping in life. For those reasons, supporting self-efficacy was seen as important. Teachers’ ability to support a student’s self-efficacy was experienced to be relatively good. The ability was positively influenced by the teacher’s sensitivity to recognize the student’s emotional states and building a good interrelationship with the student. The ability was negatively influenced by a lack of know-how of how to support students in need as well as external factors such as lack of time, large class sizes, and student amounts. The pedagogic methods used by the teachers were diverse and according to the study also supportive in regards to a student’s self-efficacy.