Undergradthesis

Chapter I

The Problem and Its Background

Introduction

Students with a strong sense of self-efficacy form a stronger sense of commitment to their interests and activities and can recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments. They are the types of people who view challenging problems as tasks to be mastered. Self-efficacy, or the belief in one’s abilities to deal with various situations, plays a vital role in not only how someone feels about himself, but also, whether or not someone can successfully achieve his goals in life.

According to Albert Bandura (1994), self-efficacy is "the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations." In other words, self-efficacy is a person’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Bandura described these beliefs as determinants of how people think, behave, and feel.

In a widely diverse view towards studying Accountancy, it is still essential that Accountancy students develop and maintain an attitude to learn, and competence as students who possess a belief that they will succeed in their chosen endeavors. The mere belief about their course-specific abilities in finishing the course will have a great impact on their academic success in compliance with the retention policies laid down by the Accountancy Department of their institution.

The researchers focus on the directional accuracy of FAITH Accountancy students' judgments about their expected performance. This means that in addition to examining their ability to accurately gauge their current standing in the course, the researchers will also investigate the direction of inaccuracy and the consequences associated with pessimism relative to optimism regarding performance outcomes.

This study examines FAITH Accountancy students' ability to assess their success in the course. Drawing a model of self-efficacy, the researchers explicitly assess mid-way through the...