(Bandura, 1982; Bandura, 1977).
Bandura (1972) notes that the concept of self-efficacy refers to the perceived ability of the college student to cope with specific situations. The cognitive processes are a part of psychopathology in that these processes involve dysfunctional expectancies and perceptions of self-inefficacy. Such expectancies and self-perceptions lead to anxiety and the defensive avoidance of threatening situations. At the root of increasing the student's perception of self-efficacy is a changed cognitive process involving altered (i.e., increased) expectations of personal efficacy. Therefore, it follows that effective instructions would alter such negative expectancies and self-perceptions. The teacher may use such procedures as modeling and guided participation help to effect altered expectations of personal efficacy. This will thereby enable the college student to reduce anticipatory fears and avoidance behaviors that produce faulty goal-setting. That is, when the teacher provides instructions to the student that evidence his or her ability to appropriately goal-set and complete the task, the student will experience increased expectations. This is because the teacher will have modeled to the student higher expectations for personal efficacy, resulting in the student's increased goal-setting ability. In addition, the student will perceive of him or herself as being more self-efficacious and, therefore, capable of goal-setting and task completion. However, should the instructions provided by the teacher be too detailed, the student may well feel demeaned, resulting in faulty goal-setting. Further, if the student perceives that the type of instructions discount his or her ability to not only follow instructions, but to extrapolate information, his or her goal-setting may be impaired.
When instructions are vague, not well-organized, do not indicate levels of task performance, and do not present consequen...