College & Career Competencies Framework

The College and Career Competency Framework, developed by Drs. Gaumer Erickson and Noonan, supports educators in systematically embedding intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competencies into course content.

Competency Framework Professional Learning Module Self-Efficacy: Introduction

Introduction

As you review this module, record your ideas, thoughts, and actions in the Educator Workbook. This workbook contains activities, reflective questions, instructional tools, and assessments that we will refer to throughout the module. After completion of the module, submit your Educator Workbook to earn 9 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Overview

Part 1: Teaching Students What Self-Efficacy Is and Why It Is Important

Part 2: Helping Students Understand Their Strengths and Challenges in Self-Efficacy

Part 3: Approaching Challenges With a Growth Mindset

Part 4: Embedding Opportunities for Students to Practice Self-Efficacy

Part 5: The College and Career Competency Framework

Introduction

Do your students lack confidence in their abilities, give up easily when they encounter obstacles, or simply feel that they cannot learn the course content or succeed in school, sports, or arts? Self-efficacy instruction can help. Self-efficacy instruction and practice promote students’ persistence through challenging tasks and build their confidence to overcome difficulties academically, emotionally, and in their extracurricular endeavors. The focus of this module is to provide activities for use with your students to help them develop self-efficacy. The activities in this module help students learn and practice key concepts for self-efficacy applied to varying goals and classroom expectations.

Self-efficacy is an intrapersonal competency defined as “an individual’s perceptions about their capabilities to perform at an expected level, achieve goals, and complete moderately challenging tasks” (Noonan & Gaumer Erickson, 2018, p. 23).

Students who participate in instruction and opportunities to practice self-efficacy are more motivated to learn and have an increased understanding of course content (Friedel et al., 2010; Hattie, 2009). Developing self-efficacy skills also helps students be more open to constructive feedback and have an increased understanding that ability grows with effort (Muenks & Miele, 2017; Roddenberry & Renk, 2010).

Teachers who implemented self-efficacy activities have observed that students experienced increased self-reflection and self-awareness. Teachers also observed that self-efficacy improved the quality and timeliness of student work and improved their confidence in their abilities (Gaumer Erickson & Noonan, 2021).

Module Outcomes

This online learning module was developed to assist classroom teachers, special educators, career technical educators, and school counselors in teaching self-efficacy to middle and high school students. After completing this module, you will be able to:

  1. Describe activities that support students in defining self-efficacy, identifying strengths and challenges related to self-efficacy, and understanding how to approach challenges with a growth mindset;
  2. Determine ways to have students practice self-efficacy related to classroom activities;
  3. Access resources via https://www.cccframework.org to support your self-efficacy instruction; and
  4. Explain the College and Career Competency Framework to a colleague, including why we need to support systematic social emotional learning.

Additional Resources

< Back to Self-Study Modules

Next >