ain't enough.» -- Shel Silverstein, "Where the Sidewalk Ends", page
158
Cited in (OK, this is pretty nerdy) --
"Motivational Role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Self-Regulated Learning"
by Frank Pajares, in "Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning: Theory,
Research, and Applications" by Dale H. Schunk and Barry J.
Zimmerman, eds. (Taylor and Francis Group, 2008).
Well, that's a mouthful, but let's not let it stand in the way
of the main point. Frank Pajares says at the outset of the
chapter:
«Psychologist Albert Bandura theorized that the beliefs
that people come to hold about their capabilities and about the
outcomes of their efforts powerfully influence not only the ways
in which they will behave but also the cognitive and affective
processes that accompany their functioning. For Bandura,
as for the poet Virgil, people who are 'able' are typically those
who *believe* they are able.»
To sum up further -- it's not just *thinking* you can
that's important, but *believing* you can. Make it
a "justified, true belief" and you'll *know* you can,
yeah?!
Now, what kind of maps or models are *realistic*
(i.e. "justified and true)? Pajares suggests
"coping models", which say that
«missteps are inevitable, they can be overcome,
and even authority figures make them»
as opposed to the so-called "mastery models"
held by
«those who have their authority and ego tied up
into their infallibility»
Building up to the idea that --
«Effective models convey not only the success
experience itself but also the information
required to succeed.»
Now that we know something about these
maps, we should take a good look at their
dynamic aspects. Parajes suggests that --
«Making students aware of the self-handicapping
strategies they regularly use to decrease anxiety
is a critical first step in teaching them how to
circumvent such strategies.»
A first step is not enough, but it's an interesting
(and sensible) beginning. (Question for reflection:
What are the next steps?)
