Self-efficacy refers to people's beliefs about their ability to act and successfully attain a designated performance goal. It has been hypothesized that self-efficacy directly effects behavior. This study investigated the source of self-efficacy in career activities classified into six (RIASEC) vocational realms according to Holland's theory (1985). Participants were 355 Japanese university students (166 male and 189 female). Results of regression analyses using four sources of efficacy: performance accomplishment, vicarious learning, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal (trait anxiety and optimism) as independent variables and self-efficacy as the dependent variable indicated that performance accomplishment was the most powerful source of efficacy across the six vocational realms. Vicarious learning and verbal persuasion did not significantly predict self-efficacy except in the conventional realm in females. The results of two 2 way analysis of variance, (sex: male-female × anxiety: high-low) and (sex: male-female × optimism: high-low) indicated a significant main effect of anxiety for realistic, social, enterprising, and conventional domains, as well as a significant main effect of optimism for realistic, social, enterprising, and conventional domains respectively. It is concluded that providing opportunities to do vocational activities, and interpreting past accomplishments, might be a valuable intervention in resolving career problems of university students, because such opportunities are effective in efficacy formation and change. It is also suggested that providing strategies for reducing anxiety, as well as for developing an optimistic attitude would be effective in promoting efficacy.
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