Self-Motivation for Academic Attainment: The Role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Personal Goal Setting
1992/01/01 by Barry J. Zimmerman, Albert Bandura, Manuel Martinez-Pons · 1,716 citations
Psychology · #Academic achievement #Developmental psychology #Education, Achievement, and Giftedness #Goal orientation #Goal setting #Goal theory #Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods #Mathematics education #Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports #Path analysis (statistics) #Psychology #Self-concept #Self-efficacy #Set (abstract data type) #Social cognitive theory #Social psychology
paper · open access · doi:10.3102/00028312029003663
published in American Educational Research Journal 29(3), 663-676 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 1992/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract
The causal role of students’ self-efficacy beliefs and academic goals in self-motivated academic attainment was studied using path analysis procedures. Parental goal setting and students’ self-efficacy and personal goals at the beginning of the semester served as predictors of students’ final course grades in social studies. In addition, their grades in a prior course in social studies were included in the analyses. A path model of four self-motivation variables and prior grades predicted students ‘final grades in social studies, R = .56. Students’ beliefs in their efficacy for self-regulated learning affected their perceived self-efficacy for academic achievement, which in turn influenced the academic goals they set for themselves and their final academic achievement. Students’ prior grades were predictive of their parents’ grade goals for them, which in turn were linked to the grade goals students set for themselves. These findings were interpreted in terms of the social cognitive theory of academic self-motivation.
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