Abstract This literature review investigated the effect of self-efficacy among adolescents. In order to do this, a review was conducted of current research displaying the effect of self-efficacy on different areas of academics. These areas included learning, academic achievement, school engagement, specific academic areas, and future aspirations. It was hypothesized that self-efficacy has a major influence on academics among adolescents. All of the research reviewed confirmed this hypothesis and found that self-efficacy is very crucial for academic success among adolescents.

Introduction Adolescence is one of the most challenging periods of time in the life of an individual. One major factor for this can include academics, since this is when schooling becomes serious in determining a pathway for a successful future. In order for students to thrive in school, they must have self-efficacy beliefs. Albert Bandura (1994) defined self-efficacy as the belief of being able to successfully perform a certain task in order to meet a goal. Over the years, a number of researchers have conducted studies on the topic of self-efficacy given the fact that this difficult population needs to be studied further. Some researchers have studied the effect of self-efficacy beliefs on learning (Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara & Pastorelli, 1996; Bernacki, Nokes-Malach & Aleven, 2015), which set a basis for studies that were conducted to see the effect of self-efficacy beliefs on academic achievement (Zimmerman, Bandura & Martinez-Pons, 1992; Caprara, Vecchione, Alessandri, Gerbino & Barbaranelli, 2011; Wang & Neihart, 2015; Caprara, Fida, Vecchione, Del Bove, Vecchio, Barbaranelli & Bandura, 2008; Schnell, Ringeisen, Raufelder & Rohrmann, 2015). Diving further into self-efficacy, some researchers have studied the effects of self-efficacy as a predictor of school engagement (Caraway, Tucker, Reinke & Hall, 2003; Bilge, Tuzgol Dost & Cetin, 2014), while others have specifically focused research on the self-efficacy in certain academic areas including mathematics and writing (Buzza & Dol, 2015; Villalón, Mateos & Cuevas, 2015). Lastly, it is important to note the research on the relationship of self-efficacy beliefs towards aspirations (Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara & Pastorelli, 2001) and how these beliefs can drastically change the future of an adolescent. The purpose of this literature review will be to determine the effect of self-efficacy on academics among adolescents. This will be done by examining the current research which focuses on the effect of self-efficacy on learning, academic achievement, school engagement, specific academic areas, and future aspirations.

Findings Learning Bernacki and colleagues observed students’ development of math skills over time using a math learning task, paying attention to their behaviors and self-efficacy judgements. They wanted to see if students would adjust their efficacy over a series of problem solving attempts and if they would adjust their self-regulated learning based on the efficacy they experienced. They found that self-efficacy changed based on past performance and improvements in performance increased self-efficacy. They also found that when they experienced increased feelings of self-efficacy their performance and learning improved. Academic achievement Zimmerman and colleagues examined self-efficacy on academic grades in a natural school setting. They wanted to see if students’ ability of self-regulated learning would influence their perceived self-efficacy for academic achievement, which would influence improved grades. They found a causal path between self-regulated learning and perceived self-efficacy for academic achievement. Their perceived self-efficacy for academic achievement predicted their final grades. Students with higher beliefs attained higher academic performance. Wang and Neihart studied self-efficacy and academic achievement among twice-exceptional (2e) students. These students are characterized as having gifted characteristics, learning disabilities, physical handicaps or psychological dysfunction. They wanted to investigate academically achieving 2e students’ perceptions of academic self-efficacy and the factors that affected their self-efficacy. They found that 2e students had positive academic self-efficacy which positively affected their learning outcomes accompanied by greater academic achievement. They found that high academic self-efficacy was influenced by past academic performance and external support systems. School engagement Caraway and colleagues examined self-efficacy as being a factor in school engagement. They wanted to see if self-efficacy would have positive associations with school engagement. They found that the more confident adolescents were about their level of confidence, or the higher self-efficacy beliefs they held, the more likely they were to get better grades in school and be more engaged. Bilge and colleagues conducted a study to see if students’ perceptions of school engagement showed significant differences with self-efficacy beliefs and academic success. They found that people with high self-efficacy beliefs had higher school engagement which also attributed to a higher GPA. Future aspirations Bandura and colleagues focused on the origins of career self-efficacy and its impact on career-related choices influenced by academic achievement. They also wanted to study the a factor that plays a role in a child’s self-efficacy, parental self-efficacy. They found that parental aspirations were positively linked to their children’s self-efficacy and academic achievement and aspirations. They also found that children who had a higher self-efficacy found themselves to be more inclined to choose a challenging career.

Discussion The findings of the current research show that self-efficacy is an important variable to the academics of an adolescent. In general, the literature shows that the more confident adolescents are about their level of competence, meaning the higher self-efficacy they exhibit, the more likely they are to be more engaged in school, attain academic achievement, foster more productive learning, and have brighter future aspirations. Some limitations to this research, which were consistent through all studies, were sample size and assessments. The studies were all conducted on relatively smaller populations, which brings up issues around reliability and generalizability. Also, the only way to obtain self-efficacy ratings are self-report instruments. While these have proven validity, self-reported data can be complex based on individual differences. Implications for future research should address the limitations stated above. Research could benefit from studying a larger and more diverse population, taking into consideration gender and racial differences.

Conclusion The present literature review wanted to examine the effect of self-efficacy on academics among adolescents. All of the research showed that self-efficacy greatly affects learning, academic achievement, school engagement, and future aspirations. Although adolescence is one of the trickier periods of time, children are still able to thrive with help, support, and the right motivation.