Self-Efficacy Theory as a Basis for Career Assessment

This article reviews the basic postulates of self-efficacy theory and describes its applications to the study of career choice and development. Following a discussion of issues involved in the measurement of perceived self-efficacy with respect to domains of career behavior, measurement of and research on occupational self-efficacy, mathematics self-efficacy, self-efficacy with respect to basic domains of activity, and career decision self-efficacy are reviewed. The relationship of self-efficacy to vocational interests and the particular relevance of the theory to the career development of women and members of racial/ethnic minority groups are also discussed.