Mastery Experience (mastery + experience)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A comparative study of the self-efficacy beliefs of successful men and women in mathematics, science, and technology careers

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 9 2008
Amy L. Zeldin
Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the personal stories of men who selected careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) to better understand the ways in which their self-efficacy beliefs were created and subsequently influenced their academic and career choices. Analysis of 10 narratives revealed that mastery experience was the primary source of the men's self-efficacy beliefs. These results are compared to those from Zeldin and Pajares' earlier study involving women in STEM careers. For women, social persuasions and vicarious experiences were the primary sources of self-efficacy beliefs. Together, these findings suggest that different sources are predominant in the creation and development of the self-efficacy beliefs of men and women who pursue STEM careers. The self-efficacy beliefs of men in these male-dominated domains are created primarily as a result of the interpretations they make of their ongoing achievements and successes. Women, on the other hand, rely on relational episodes in their lives to create and buttress the confidence that they can succeed in male-dominated domains. Findings were consistent with the theoretical tenets of A. Bandura's social cognitive theory. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 1036,1058, 2008 [source]


The interactive effects of personal traits and guided practices on preservice teachers' changes in personal teaching efficacy

BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2006
Yu-Chu Yeh
Personal teaching efficacy is associated with a teacher's effectiveness in the classroom. To enhance this efficacy in a computer-simulated training program, both personal traits and guided practices need to be considered concurrently. In this study, it was hypothesised that the interactive effects from the coupling of personal traits with guided practices would be a reliable predictor of the degree of improvement in personal teaching efficacy during computer-simulated training. One hundred and seventy-eight preservice teachers completed an interactive teaching experience via the Computer Simulation for Teaching General Critical-thinking Skills in which guided practices were integrated via specially designed teaching sequences and loops. The findings suggest that intrapersonal intelligence, critical-thinking dispositions and a judicial thinking style are related to self-awareness, analytical learning and reflective thinking and that in this study, these personal qualities seemingly interacted with guided practices, which resulted in reflective teaching and mastery experience. This, in turn, may very well have brought about improvement in the preservice teachers' personal teaching efficacy during the computer-simulated teaching. [source]


Sources of science self-efficacy beliefs of middle school students

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 5 2006
Shari L. Britner
The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which A. Bandura's (1997) hypothesized sources of self-efficacy predict the science self-efficacy beliefs of middle school students (N,=,319), to replicate previous findings that science self-efficacy predicts science achievement, and to explore how science self-efficacy and its antecedents differ by gender. Significant correlations were found between mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasions, physiological arousal, and self-efficacy. Only mastery experiences significantly predicted science self-efficacy. Girls reported stronger science self-efficacy than did boys. Findings support and extend the theoretical tenets of Bandura's social cognitive theory. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 485,499, 2006 [source]


Sun Protection is Fun!

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2000
A Skin Cancer Prevention Program for Preschools
ABSTRACT: Children and their caregivers are prime candidates for intervention to curb the rising incidence of skin cancer in the United States. Preschools provide a unique opportunity to influence the sun protection practices of parents and teachers on behalf of young children. Sun Protection is Fun!, a comprehensive skin cancer prevention program developed by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in collaboration with The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center School of Public Health, was introduced to preschools in the greater Houston area. The program's intervention methods are grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and emphasize symbolic modeling, vicarious learning, enactive mastery experiences, and persuasion. Program components include a curriculum and teacher's guide, videos, newsletters, handbooks, staff development, group meetings designed to encourage schoolwide changes to support the program, and sunscreen. The intervention map, including objectives for program development, implementation, and evaluation, is discussed. [source]