self-efficacy theory

This qualitative study examines how K–12 educational leaders describe and make sense of their leadership practices related to instructional support, evaluation and improvement strategies, collaborative relationships and trust, and parent and community engagement. Drawing on open-ended survey responses from practicing school and district leaders, the study employs inductive thematic analysis to explore leadership efficacy as enacted through daily practice rather than expressed solely as an abstract belief. Guided by Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and transformational leadership theory as interpretive lenses, leaders’ narratives are situated within the relational and contextual systems shaping leadership work. Findings reveal a coherent, practice-oriented leadership narrative grounded in collaboration, trust-building, reflective practice, and responsiveness to local context. Instructional leadership and evaluation were consistently framed as growth-oriented, relational processes, while collaborative relationships and trust emerged as foundational conditions enabling leadership practice across domains. Parent and community engagement was described as a reciprocal, boundary-spanning function rooted in communication, visibility, and partnership. Collectively, the findings position leadership efficacy as a relational and contextually embedded practice and highlight implications for leadership preparation and professional learning.

With the continuous advancement of the construction of a national lifelong learning system and the deepening reform of the modern vocational education system, exploring the internal and external driving factors underlying the high-quality development of higher vocational colleges in border regions can effectively address several prominent challenges faced by northern higher vocational institutions, including insufficient connotative development in relation to construction requirements, inadequate motivation for autonomous learning among teachers and students, and difficulties in adapting lifelong education services to the needs of regional industries. Therefore, this research has significant practical implications.Drawing on self-efficacy theory and lifelong education theory, this study clarifies the transmission mechanisms among variables and constructs a theoretical model centered on lifelong education driving factors, teachers’ and students’ self-efficacy, and the high-quality development of higher vocational colleges. The study conducted a survey among 14 public higher vocational colleges in Heilongjiang Province, collecting 628 valid teacher questionnaires and 864 valid student questionnaires. Empirical analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 and the PROCESS macro, including reliability and validity tests, correlation analysis, and Bootstrap tests of mediating effects.The empirical results reveal several key findings. First, four driving factors associated with lifelong education—digital learning resource provision, the implementation of industry–education integration, the cultivation of a lifelong learning-oriented campus environment, and modern institutional governance—can all positively promote the high-quality development of higher vocational colleges. Second, these four types of factors significantly enhance the self-efficacy levels of both teachers and students. Finally, teachers’ and students’ self-efficacy plays a mediating role in this process: various lifelong education-related factors not only directly improve the quality of institutional development but also indirectly facilitate the connotative development of colleges by strengthening teachers’ and students’ confidence in learning and career development.Based on the practical context of higher vocational education in Heilongjiang Province, this study enriches the theoretical framework concerning institutional development from the perspective of lifelong education and provides two practical implications for higher vocational colleges in northern border regions. Higher vocational institutions should not only align their educational practices with local industrial characteristics but also focus on stimulating the subjective initiative of teachers and students, thereby establishing a sustainable and stable model of high-quality development.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of dynamic assessment (DA) on Iraqi EFL learners’ reading self-efficacy (RSE) and engagement, and their perceptions of DA impact on these constructs. The study adopted a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design, based on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, with 80 intermediate-level Iraqi EFL learners. Quantitative data were collected applying the Reading Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES) and the Reading Engagement Survey (RES), whereas qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The results showed that DA had a positive significant impact on RSE, with a large effect size. Also, a significant change in reading engagement over time was found, with a medium effect size. Analysis of interview data further showed that learners perceived DA as supporting RSE through reduced anxiety, greater perceived competence, and increased autonomy. It was also found to promote cognitive, behavioral, and affective dimensions of engagement. The mediation in the Zone of Proximal Development emerged as a recurring feature of these experiences. These results contribute to the existing literature of DA in EFL and suggest that incorporating mediation in EFL instruction may help reduce learners’ anxiety and enhance their flow and engagement in reading tasks and activities.

هدف این پژوهش بررسی اثر ارزشیابی پویا (DA) بر خودکارآمدی خواندن (RSE) و درگیری یادگیرندگان عراقی زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی و همچنین ادراکات آنان از تأثیر DA بر این سازه‌ها بود. این پژوهش با استفاده از طرح شبه‌آزمایشی آمیخته و مبتنی بر نظریه‌ی جامعه‌فرهنگی ویگوتسکی و نظریه‌ی خودکارآمدی بندورا، با مشارکت ۸۰ یادگیرنده‌ی عراقی زبان انگلیسی در سطح متوسط انجام شد. داده‌های کمی با استفاده از مقیاس خودکارآمدی خواندن (RSES) و پرسشنامه‌ی درگیری خواندن (RES) گردآوری شد و داده‌های کیفی از طریق مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته جمع‌آوری گردید. نتایج نشان داد که DA تأثیر مثبت معناداری بر RSE داشته است و اندازه‌ی اثر آن بزرگ بود. همچنین، تغییر معناداری در درگیری خواندن در طول زمان مشاهده شد که اندازه‌ی اثر آن متوسط بود. تحلیل داده‌های مصاحبه نشان داد که یادگیرندگان DA را عاملی در حمایت از RSE از طریق کاهش اضطراب، افزایش احساس شایستگی و افزایش خودمختاری ادراک می‌کنند. همچنین مشخص شد که DA ابعاد شناختی، رفتاری و عاطفی درگیری را تقویت می‌کند. میانجی‌گری در منطقه‌ی رشد تقریبی به عنوان ویژگی تکرارشونده‌ی این تجربیات ظاهر شد. این نتایج به ادبیات موجود در زمینه‌ی DA در آموزش زبان انگلیسی به عنوان زبان خارجی می‌افزاید و پیشنهاد می‌کند که گنجاندن میانجی‌گری در آموزش زبان انگلیسی می‌تواند به کاهش اضطراب یادگیرندگان و افزایش جریان و درگیری آنان در فعالیت‌ها و وظایف خواندن کمک کند.