RUME 27
2025
Alexandria, Virginia
A Relationship Between Actor-Oriented Transfer and Mathematics Self-Efficacy
Page: 937
Bandura’s self-efficacy theory notes that self-efficacy determines how much time and effort students will put toward their work, meaning higher self-efficacy will lead to students working harder on their coursework. It should thus be in every mathematics instructor’s best interest to understand how they can positively impact a student’s self-efficacy related to mathematics. This theoretical report examines the intersection between an actor-oriented perspective of transfer of learning and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. I then propose a merging of the two through the concept of actor-oriented self-efficacy, which emphasizes using actor-oriented transfer methods to better understand students’ mathematics self-efficacy levels. I conclude with an example of how one can apply an actor-oriented self-efficacy perspective to a study dealing with students’ self-efficacy related to proving.