Self-Efficacy Appraisals and Test-Taking Behavior of Students from Culturally Diverse Populations

This study examined the relationships between self-efficacy calibration and test-taking behavior as measured by the percentage of skipped items, unreached items, and incorrect responses on a mathematics test. Jewish and Arab 8th graders in four achievement levels, as defined by quartiles of the test score distribution, were compared with respect to their mathematics self-efficacy and their test-taking behavior. The results indicated that in every achievement level Arab students as compared to their Jewish counterparts tended to report higher levels of self-efficacy and to attempt more items on the test, which resulted in a higher rate of incorrect responses. The results support previous research findings pointing to the detrimental effect that overestimation of SE has on performance. The results were discussed with reference to the metacognitive processes involved in estimation of self-efficacy and in test performance. The identified gaps between the two ethnic groups were discussed in light of the learning culture that characterizes each of them. The contribution of the Israeli context, whereby students from two culturally diverse groups study according to the same mathematics curriculum but in separate schools, to understanding factors underlying culture-related group differences in mathematics test performance was underscored. 1. Introduction Self-efficacy (SE) is considered a central mechanism of personal agency [1, 2]. It refers to a person’s capability to exercise some measures of control over his/her own functioning and over environmental events. More specifically, SE beliefs are context specific evaluations of a person’s capability “to organize and execute the course of action required to produce given attainments” [1, page 2]. Such beliefs are claimed to affect thought patterns and performance on a wide variety of tasks. According to Bandura [1] SE beliefs are formed on the basis of four sources: past experience, vicarious experience (observation of others), social persuasion, and physiological state. Empirical studies have lent support to the contention that SE plays a pivotal role in human functioning (e.g., [3–7]). In the area of education SE has been identified as a significant predictor of achievement in various subjects [8–10]. While a great deal of research has been devoted to examining the effect of SE on various aspects of learning, a paucity of research is evident regarding the accuracy of SE appraisals and the ways in which miscalibration of SE (i.e., incongruence between efficacy beliefs and actual performance) affects learning and