THE EFFECTS OF PEER MODELING ON CHILDREN'S SELF-EFFICACY AND PERSISTENCE.

Abstract

Few research efforts have tested Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory in an educational setting. Though the results from these studies have provided support for this theory's applicability in this setting, the effects of certain model behaviors and characteristics have not yet been determined. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of videotaped peer models on children's self-efficacy judgments and persistence times on an intellectual task. One hundred and sixty-two fourth grade children were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental conditions or one control condition with equal numbers of males and females in each condition. Eight videotapes constituted the eight experimental conditions. Each tape consisted of either a male or female peer model trying to solve a block puzzle at one of two levels of persistence and success. Children's persistence on the insolvable block puzzle was measured by time in seconds, while an efficacy scale assessed children's conviction that they could master the block puzzle. It was found that children's persistence times and self-efficacy judgments regarding a block puzzle task were influenced by a model's persistence and success behaviors. Model persistence was more influential than model success on children's persistence, while self-efficacy was influenced only by model success. Sex of the model and sex of the subject did not affect children's persistence times; however, sex of the subject did affect children's self-efficacy judgments. The research findings were discussed in terms of: (1) The role of self-efficacy as a cognitive mediator, (2) Same-sex versus different sex modeling, (3) The utility and strength of videotaped modeling relative to live modeling, and (4) Peer models versus adult models.