An Induced Successful Performance Enhances Student Self-Efficacy and Boosts Academic Achievement

Oct 15, 2026

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The article examines whether self-efficacy is causally linked to academic achievement in junior high school students, beyond correlational evidence. It tests a randomized controlled trial approach by secretly presenting easy anagrams to selected students, then measuring self-efficacy and academic performance before and after the tasks. Success-induced students increased self-efficacy, with effects lasting up to one year. Male students also showed eventual gains in academic achievement, supporting Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and informing education practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and research standards

Prior correlational findings

Causal evidence and experimental gap

AERA Open October-December 2018, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 1–9 DOI: 10. 1177/2332858418806198 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2018. [http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) An Induced Successful Performance Enhances Student Self-Efficacy and Boosts Academic Achievement Akitoshi Uchida Sairyo Junior High School Robert B. Michael University of Louisiana at Lafayette Kazuo Mori Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Matsumoto University A growing body of correlational research finds a relationship between self-efficacy—beliefs in one’s capabilities—and academic success. But few studies have investigated whether self-efficacy is causally related to academic success. We hypothesized that an experience of success would promote self-efficacy in junior high school students and would lead to academic improvements. To induce an experience of success, we secretly presented easy anagrams to target students (41 males and 43 females; 12–13 years old) who then outperformed their classmates (116 males and 115 females). We assessed students’selfefficacy and academic achievement scores before and after the anagram tasks. We found that the success-induced students raised their self-efficacy, and this elevated self-efficacy persisted for as long as one year. Moreover, success-induced males eventually showed significant improvement in their academic achievement. These results provide a real-world experimental enactment of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and have implications for the practices of educational practitioners. Keywords: academic achievement, an RCT experiment, motivation, schools, sex differences Introduction Believing in our ability to succeed matters. Students who more strongly endorse these beliefs of self-efficacy are better able to monitor their activities, adopt proximal goals, select well-tuned strategies, and motivate themselves (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997). Bandura (1997) defined selfefficacy as “beliefs in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments”(p. 3) . It is little wonder, then, that many educational psychologists have investigated the role of selfefficacy in learning (see Pajares & Schunk, 2001; and van Dinther, Dochy, & Segers, 2011, for a review) . One overarching question drives much of this research: To what extent does the strengthening of self-efficacy improve academic achievement? At first glance, it might seem as though psychological research has successfully answered this question. Several studies, for example, have demonstrated positive relationships among self-efficacy, academic achievement, and other intervening variables (e.g., Britner & Pajares, 2006; Kupermintz, 2002; Lau & Roeser, 2002; Pajares, Britner, & Valiante, 2000; Usher & Pajares, 2006, 2009) . In addition, longitudinal studies have further revealed that self-efficacy contributes to academic achievement (e.g., Caprara et al., 2008; Murayama, Pekrun, Lichtenfeld, & vom Hofe, 2013; Parker, Marsh, Ciarrochi, Marshall, & Abduljabbar, 2014) . However, the findings from these studies are limited due to their correlational nature. Though valuable, these findings do not demonstrate a causal relationship, wherein stronger self-efficacy produces greater academic achievement. According to the research standards set by the What Works Clearinghouse (Institute for Education Sciences, 2014), only experimental research using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) procedure provides evidence that an educational treatment causes academic improvement. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-com

FAQs

Why does the article focus on causality rather than correlations?

Correlational studies show links between self-efficacy and achievement, but they cannot prove that changes in self-efficacy cause improved academic outcomes. The article contrasts these limits with standards that require randomized controlled trial evidence for causal claims.

How did the study induce a feeling of success?

The researchers secretly presented easy anagrams to target junior high students. The students then outperformed their classmates, creating a success experience intended to raise self-efficacy.

What were the main results on self-efficacy and academic achievement?

Success-induced students raised their self-efficacy, and the elevated level persisted for as long as one year. Additionally, success-induced males eventually showed significant improvement in academic achievement.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Cart