Activity 7.2

An area of my life in which I hold strong self-efficacy is my ability to instruct children. As an adolescent, I worked with children, volunteered in classes and taught at camps. I was strongly influenced by my dad, who was an educator and I was encouraged by my own experiences with students.  My mentors and experiences built my foundation of confidence and passion for teaching children. Upon entering college, I knew I’d study education and use my skills to instruct children. Similarly, Pajare believes, “competent functioning requires harmony between self-beliefs on the one hand and possessed skills and knowledge on the other. Rather, it means that self-efficacy beliefs help to determine what people will do with the knowledge and skills they possess.” (p. 342) I had strong self-efficacy about teaching and possessed strong skills, which guided my beliefs and desire to become a teacher. On the other hand, I had weak self-efficacy and skills to be a doctor. Therefore, applying this same concept, my beliefs were guided that pursuing a medical degree wouldn’t be the right choice.