Power of self-efficacy revealed in academic’s TEDx talk
UNLOCKING the power of positivity and taking charge of self-belief is the subject of a new TEDx talk by University of Chichester Professor Laura Ritchie.
Prof Ritchie revealed that understanding the psychology behind self-efficacy – the belief in capabilities to do a task – is key to unlocking personal agency – the actions we take. The Professor of Learning and Teaching, who is both psychologist and concert cellist, said that people who are aware of their own self-efficacy are more likely to take a “Yes, I can” approach to life.
Speaking on the TEDx webinar, which was hosted at UCLA in America, she added: “Nobody can tell you what you can and can’t do, only you can decide whether you believe in your capabilities. Only you can have self-efficacy to do things – people with self-efficacy are far more likely to be resilient, persist in what they do, and get results.”
The TEDx talk is based on Prof Ritchie’s new book of the same title, Yes, I Can! Use the positive power of self-efficacy, which draws on experiences from music, academia, and her personal life to address perception and perspective of self-efficacy and agency.
It also follows the National Teaching Fellow’s latest research paper which revealed that people used self-efficacy to cope psychologically with the life-changing disruption of Covid-19. The study, a collaboration with the University of Illinois, also showed that people’s self-beliefs dipped during the pandemic with many turning to creative strategies to continue pursuing their life goals.
Prof Ritchie, who teaches in the University of Chichester’s Conservatoire, added: “Understanding what is required, knowing you have the skills, realising how you feel and do, being aware, and owning your self-efficacy, suddenly makes things possible. This is the key to unlocking agency.”
For more about Professor Laura Ritchie’s new book, Yes, I Can! Use the positive power of self-efficacy, go to www.lauraritchie.com/books/yes-i-can-learn-to-use-the-power-of-self-efficacy.
Or read about her work and research at www.chi.ac.uk/staff/professor-laura-ritchie.
