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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Use of Galvanic Skin Responses, Salivary Biomarkers, and Self-reports to Assess Undergraduate Student Performance During a Laboratory Exam Activity

Use of Galvanic Skin Responses, Salivary Biomarkers, and Self-reports to Assess Undergraduate Student Performance During a Laboratory Exam Activity

Published on: February 10, 2016

When self-efficacy negatively relates to motivation and performance in a learning context.

Jeffrey B Vancouver¹, Laura N Kendall

¹Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA. vancouve@ohio.edu

The Journal of Applied Psychology

|September 7, 2006

Summary

Self-efficacy beliefs can negatively impact trainee motivation and performance, contrary to popular training advice. This study reveals that within-person analysis is crucial for understanding the complex relationship between self-efficacy and motivation.

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Use of Galvanic Skin Responses, Salivary Biomarkers, and Self-reports to Assess Undergraduate Student Performance During a Laboratory Exam Activity

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Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Published on: September 27, 2020

Area of Science:

Educational Psychology
Motivation Science
Self-Regulation Theory

Background:

Current training literature often suggests directly manipulating self-efficacy to enhance trainee motivation.
Self-regulation theories propose that motivation is contingent on goal processes, and self-efficacy's impact varies accordingly.
Training environments may trigger planning processes where high self-efficacy could paradoxically decrease motivation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the within-person relationship between self-efficacy and motivation in an academic training context.
To determine if previous between-persons studies have obscured the true effect of self-efficacy on motivation and performance.

Main Methods:

Sixty-three undergraduate students participated in the study.
Participants completed questionnaires assessing self-efficacy and motivation prior to five class examinations.
Data were analyzed using within-person and between-persons levels of analysis.

Main Results:

At the within-person level, self-efficacy demonstrated a negative relationship with both motivation and exam performance.
In contrast, at the between-persons level, self-efficacy showed a significant positive association with exam performance.
These findings highlight the importance of the level of analysis in understanding self-efficacy's role.

Conclusions:

Contrary to common training recommendations, self-efficacy can be negatively associated with motivation and performance.
The within-person analysis is critical for uncovering nuanced effects of self-efficacy in dynamic contexts like training.
Future interventions should consider the specific goal processes and individual dynamics influencing self-efficacy and motivation.