The effect of self-efficacy and prior experience on the calibration between confidence and accuracy

• Main Authors: Goh, Joseph, Lee, Angie, Tan, Darrel
• Other Authors: Nanyang Business School
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::General::Education; DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Social behavior; DRNTU::Social sciences::Psychology::Consciousness and cognition
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51384
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The relationship between self-efficacy, prior experience, confidence, and calibration in a general knowledge test is the key impetus and question that drive this research. To answer this question, a research design involving 146 undergraduates from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was conducted. Quantitative data was collected from a self-report survey and general knowledge test: 19-item Self-Efficacy Self-Report Scale (SESRS – Erford, Schein & Duncan, 2011), and 20-item General Knowledge Test. SPSS v.20 software is used for quantitative data analysis. On the whole, this study shows a significant and positive relationship between self-efficacy and confidence, as well as between self-efficacy and calibration. Also, empirical evidence garnered showed a slight association between prior experience and calibration. Theoretically, this study has contributed to the understanding of the complex relationship between self-efficacy, prior experience, confidence, and calibration. Practical implications such as how to enhance self-efficacy and calibration for undergraduate to further enhance their learning and future applications of good decision-making, as well as the limitations of this study and future research are presented. Keywords: self-efficacy, prior experience, confidence, accuracy, calibration, general knowledge