Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Turkish and American Ph.D Students: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The aim of the research is to comparatively investigate the opinions of students in doctoral education in the USA and Turkey about academic self-efficacy. The research used the basic qualitative research pattern from among qualitative research designs. The study group in the research comprised a total of 32 doctoral students with 16 from Turkey and 16 from the USA. Of these students, 25 were male (78%) and 7 were female (22%). With the aim of determining the participant group, criterion sampling was used from the targeted sampling methods. A semi-structured interview form was used to gather data in the research. For analysis of data, the content analysis technique was used. It has been determined by the results obtained from the study that Turkish and American students have similar goals to attend a Ph.D program in some respect and they have a high level of academic self-efficacy belief (ASEB) in using the relevant terminology and reaching the literature. In addition, it has been determined that Turkish students have a weaker academic self- efficacy belief than American students in respect of using scientific research methods and qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques.

Keywords

• Academic self-efficacy
• American and Turkish Ph.D students
• doctorate
• qualitative research

References

1. Acar, T. (2005). Öz-yeterlilik (self-efficacy) kavramı üzerine. Retrieved from: http://docplayer.biz.tr/2094979- Oz-yeterllk-self-effcacy-kavrami-uzerne-tulin-acar.html
2. Altbach, P. G. (2004). The United States: Present realities and future trends. Doctoral studies and qualifications in Europe and the United States: Status and prospects, 259-277.
3. Aslan, C. (2010). The opinions of the Turkish education postgraduate students about their academic selfefficacy. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty, 10(9), 87-115.
4. Aurah, C. M., Cassady, J. C., & McConnell, T. J. (2014). Predicting problem solving ability from metacognition and self-efficacy beliefs on a cross validated sample, British Journal of Education, 2(1), 49-72.
5. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
6. Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (vol. 4, pp. 71- 81). San Diego: Academic Press.
7. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.
8. Bandura, A., Barbaranelli, C., Caprara, G. V., & Pastorelli, C. (1996). Multifaceted impact of self-efficacy beliefs on academic functioning. Child Development, 67(3), 1206-1222.

9. Bandura, A., & Schunk, D. H. (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal self-motivation. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 41, 586-598.
10. Bassi, M., Steca, P., Fave, A. D., & Caprara, G. V. (2007). Academic self-efficacy beliefs and quality of experience in learning. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 301-312.
11. Betz, N. E., & Hackett, G. (1981). The relationship of career-related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28(5), 399– 410. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.28.5.399
12. Bishop, R.M., & Bieschke, K.J. (1998). Applying social-cognitive theory to interest in research among counselling psychology doctoral students: A path analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45(2), 182–188.
13. Blummer, B. (2009). Providing library instruction to graduate students: A review of the literature. Public Services Quarterly, 5(1), 15-39.
14. Bouffard-Bouchard, T., Parent, S., & Larivee, S. (1991). Influence of self-efficacy on self-regulation and performance among junior and senior high-school age students. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 14(2), 153-164.
15. Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş., & Demirel, F. (2015). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri (19. Baskı). Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
16. Caprara G. V., Vecchione M., Alessandri G., Gerbino M., & Barbaranelli C. (2011). The contribution of personality traits and self-efficacy beliefs to academic achievement: A longitudinal study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 78-96.
17. Chemers, M. M., Hu, L., & Garcia, B. F. (2001). Academic self-efficacy and first year college student performance and adjustment, Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 55-64.
18. Chun, A.H.C., & Choi, J.N. (2005). Rethinking procrastination: Positive effects of “active” procrastination behavior on attitudes and performance. The Journal of Social Psychology, 145, 245-264.
19. Çakiroglu, J., Çakiroglu, E., & Boone, W. J. (2005). Pre-service teacher self-efficacy beliefs regarding science teaching: A comparison of pre-service teachers in Turkey and the USA. Science Educator, 14(1), 31-40.
20. Çakiroglu, E. (2008): The teaching efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers in the USA and Turkey, Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy, 34 (1), 33-44.
21. Denecke, D., Kent, J., & McCarthy, M. T. (2017). Articulating learning outcomes in doctoral education. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.
22. Denecke, D. D., Kent, J. D., & Wiener, W. (2011). Preparing future faculty to assess student learning. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.
23. Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (1999). Educational psychology. (4th ed.). New Jersey: Printice-Hall, Inc.
24. Ekici, G. (2009). Adaptation of the biology self-efficacy scale to Turkish. Kastamonu Education Journal, 17(1), 111-124.
25. Fitzgerald, L. F., & Osipow, S. H. (1988). We have seen the future, but is it us? The vocational aspirations of graduate students in counseling psychology. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19(6), 575.
26. Greene, B.A., Miller, R.B., Crowson, M., Duke, B.L., & Akey, K.L. (2004). Predicting high school students’ cognitive engagement and achievement: Contributions of classroom perceptions and motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29, 462-482.
27. Golightly, T. R. (2007). Defining the components of academic self-efficacy in Navajo American Indian high school students. Unpublished Ph.D Thesis, Brigham Young University, Utah.
28. Hodges, C. B. (2005). Self-efficacy, motivational email, and achievement in an asynchronous mathematics course. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Virginia State University, Virginia.
29. Kahn, J.H., & Scott, N.A. (1997). Predictors of research productivity and science-related career goals among counseling psychology doctoral students. Counseling Psychologist, 25(1), 38–67.
30. Kim, U., & Park, Y. S. (2006). Indigenous psychological analysis of academic achievement in Korea: The influence of self-efficacy, parents, and culture. International Journal of Psychology, 41(4), 287-292. doi:10.1080/00207590544000068.
31. Kiser, M. D. (2008). Developmental students sources of self-efficacy and the university academic support program impact. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Texas Tech University. Texas. Retrieved from: https://ttuir.tdl.org/handle/2346/12602
32. Krippendorff, K. (2004). Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. (2nd Edition), California: Sage Publications,
33. LeCompte, M. D. & Goetz, J. P. (1982). Problems of reliability and validity in ethnographic research. Review of Educational Research, 52(1), 31-60.
34. Lee, J. (2009). Universals and specifics of math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and math anxiety across 41 PISA 2003 participating countries. Learning and Individual Differences, 19(3), 355-365. doi:10.1016/j. lindif.2008.10.009.
35. Lee, S. W. (2005). Encyclopedia of school psychology. USA: Sage Publications Inc.
36. Leithwood, K. (2007). What we know about the educational leadership. In: J.M. Burger, C. Webber ve P. Knick. (Eds.) Intelligent leadership studies in educational leadrship, (pp. 41–66). Dordrecht: Springer.
37. Margolis, H., & McCabe, P. P. (2004). Self-efficacy: A key to improving the motivation of struggling learners. The Clearing House, 77(6), 241-249.
38. Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th Edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
39. Multon, K. D, Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (1991). Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38(1), 30-38.
40. Overall, N. C., Deane, K. L., & Peterson, E. R. (2011). Promoting doctoral students' research self-efficacy: Combining academic guidance with autonomy support. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(6), 791-805.
41. Pajares, F. (1996). Self-efficacy beliefs in academic settings. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 543–578. doi:10.3102/00346543066004543.
42. Pajares, F. (2002). Overview of social cognitive theory and of self-efficacy. Retrieved from: http://www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/eff.html.
43. Pajares, F., & Graham, L. (1999). Self-efficacy, motivation constructs, and mathematics performance of entering middle school students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 24(2), 124–139.
44. Pajares, F., & Miller, M.D. (1994). Role of self-efficacy and self-concept beliefs in mathematical problem solving: A path analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86(2), 193–203. doi:10.1037/0022- 0663.86.2.193.
45. Phillips, J. C., & Russell, R. K. (1994). Research self-efficacy, the research training environment, and research productivity among graduate students in counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 22(4), 628-641.
46. Robbins, S.E., Lauver, K., Le, H., Davis, D., Langley, R., & Carlstrom, A. (2004). Do psychosocial and study skill factors predict college outcomes? A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 130 (2), 261-288.
47. Sang, G., Valcke, M., Van Braak, J., & Tondeur, J. (2010). Student teachers’ thinking processes and ict integration: Predictors of prospective teaching behaviors with educational technology. Computers & Education, 54(1), 103-112.
48. Scholz, U., Doña, B. G., Sud, S., & Schwarzer, R. (2002). Is general self-efficacy a universal construct? Psychometric findings from 25 countries. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 18(3), 242-251. Doi:10.1027//1015-5759.18.3.242.
49. Schunk, D. H. (1981). Modeling and attributional effects on children’s achievement: A self-efficacy analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73(1), 93–105. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.73.1.93.
50. Schunk, D. H. (1991). Self-efficacy and academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 26(3-4), 207-231. Doi: 10.1080/00461520.1991.9653133
51. Schunk, D. H. (1995). Self-efficacy, motivation, and performance. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 7(2), 112- 137.
52. Schunk, D. H. (2009). Öğrenme teorileri: Eğitimsel bir bakışla. (Trans. Ed. M. Şahin), Ankara: Nobel Yayıncılık. Schunk, D.H., & Pajares, F. (2001). The development of academic self-efficacy. In A. Wigfield, & J. S. Eccles (Eds.), Development of achievement motivation (pp. 15–31). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Retrieved from: https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Pajares/SchunkPajares2001.PDF
53. Sharm, D., & Silbereisen, R.K. (2007). Revisiting an era in Germany from the perspective of adolescents in motherheaded single-parent families. International Journal of Psychology, 42(1), 46-58.
54. Snyder C. R., & Lopez S. (2002). Handbook of positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. http://ldysinger.stjohnsem.edu/@books1/Snyder_Hndbk_Positive_Psych/Snyder_Lopez_Handbook_ of_Positive_Psychology.pdf
55. Solem, M., Kollasch, A., & Lee, J. (2013). Career goals, pathways and competencies of geography graduate students in the USA. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 37(1), 92-116.
56. Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (1998). Social cognitive theory and self-efficacy: Going beyond traditional motivational and behavioral approaches. Organizational dynamics, 26(4), 62-75. The Council of Higher Education-TCHE (2010). National qualifications framework for higher education in Turkey: 8. level qualifications. Retrieved from: http://tyyc.yok.gov.tr/?pid=35
57. Unrau, Y.A., & Beck, A.R. (2004). Increasing research self-efficacy among students in professional academic programs. Innovative Higher Education, 28(3), 187-204.
58. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2016). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (10. baskı). Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
59. Zhang, L., & Zhang, X. (2003). A study of the relationships among learning strategy use, self-efficacy, persistence and academic achievement in middle school students. Psychological Science, 26(4), 603- 607.
60. Zimmerman, B. J.(1995a). Self-efficacy and educational development. In A. Bandura (Ed). Self-efficacy in changing societies. (pp. 46-68). New York: Cambridge University Press.
61. Zimmerman, B. J. (1995b). Attaining reciprocality between learning and development through selfregulation. Human Development, 38(6), 367-372.
62. Zimmerman, B.J., Bandura, A., & Martinez-Pons, M. (1992). Self-motivation for academic attainment: The role of self-efficacy beliefs and personal goal setting. American Educational Research Journal, 29(3) 663- 676.