Academic self-efficacy among open and distance learners in Nigeria

Abstract

Academic self-efficacy is regarded as aneffective predictor of students' motivation and learning. It is a performance-based measure of perceived capability. In order to determine if Open and Distance Learning (ODL) students in Nigeria have a high level of academic self-efficacy, 600 ODL students from 12 study centres of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) were assessed. Two study centres from each of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria were randomly selected. A questionnaire called Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (ASEQ) was administered to the respondents. Three research questions and two hypotheses were used in the study. Frequencies, percentages, and means were used to answer the research questions, while the hypotheses were tested using t-test of independent means. Findings reveal that ODL students in Nigeria possess high level of academic self-efficacy.Academic self-efficacy does not depend on gender or level of academics.

Keywords: Self-efficacy, Academic self-efficacy, Open and distance learning