OWOLABI LAWAL OLATUNDE

Science and Tech. Education

At the Science And Tech. Education department office

Appointment on Visitation important

#	Certificate	School	Year
1.	Ph.D (Physics Education)	University of Lagos	2006

Self efficacy, students’ interest and achievement in senior school physics

The study of science, demand from the students’ high sense of inquisitiveness and creative instinct. Scientific attitudes of open-mindedness, suspended judgement and perseverance are critical indicators of success in science. Consistent with these attributes, this study focused its search light on self efficacy. Self efficacy is one’s belief in own ability to influence events that affect one’s life (Bandura, 1997 ). Self efficacy beliefs determine how you think, feel, motivate yourself, and behave (Zimmerman, 2012). A person with strong self efficacy may likely approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided (Pajeres, 2013). People with high sense of efficacy visualize success scenarios that provide support and guidance for performance (Wigfield, 2014). The higher the self efficacy the greater the cognitive goals people set for themselves. As asserted by Bandura (1993), unless people believe they can produce desired effects by their actions, they have little incentive to act. Students with greater efficacy are more likely to select challenging tasks, expend more efforts, and persist when encountering difficulties (Badura, 1997). These students may not have the ability to perform requisite cognitive tasks, but sense they have the capability to master the task (Bandura, 1993). In a similar manner, students with a weak sense of self efficacy avoid challenging tasks, believe that difficult tasks and situations are beyond their capabilities, Focus on personal failings and negative outcomes, and quickly lose confidence in personal abilities (Schunk, 2012). Statement of problem It is notable that several researchers have alluded to several intrinsic variables affecting students’ performance in science. The case with physics is even more crucial. Literature is well documented that students are reluctant to study physics (Owolabi,2015 ). 

OWOLABI OLATUNDE is a Professor at the Department of Science and Tech. Education

OWOLABI has a Ph.D in Physics Education from University of Lagos