Asking for help as a key to success: The relationship between student help‐seeking skills and mathematics self‐efficacy

Abstract

According to Social Cognitive Theory, self-efficacy describes students' beliefs in their ability to be successful within a certain task or domain. Though some contributions to self-efficacy are generally accepted, it is important to continue to look for additional factors that contribute to selfefficacy, especially those that provide opportunities for educators to improve their students' self-efficacy. This study uses regression analyses on a sample (n = 225) of undergraduate students to examine the unique contribution that help-seeking beliefs make to mathematical self-efficacy. Resultsshow that help-seeking beliefs have a positive relationship with self-efficacy and make a unique, positive contribution to self-efficacy even when controlling for other sources of self-efficacy. Results suggest the need for educators to improve student help-seeking beliefs by purposefully teaching helpseeking skills and providing more access to effective, individualized help for students.