COUNS-EDU The International Journal of Counseling and Education
Vol.1, No.1, December 2016, pp. 29-33

p-ISSN: 2548-348X- e-ISSN: 2548-3498
http://journal.konselor.or.id/index.php/counsedu

DOI: 10.23916/29-33.0016.11-i41b

Received on 12/3/2016; Revised on 12/18/2016; Accepted on 12/26/2016; Publishedon:12/31/2016

Level of students` self-efficacy based on gender

Ifdil

*)1
, RizkaApriani

2
, FrischaMeivilona Yendi

3
, &Itsar Bolo Rangka

123UniversitasNegeri Padang,4UniversitasIndraprasta PGRI Jakarta
*)Corresponding author, e-mail: Ifdil@konselor.org

Abstract
This research is aimed at describing the condition of both male and female students’ self-

efficacy and identifying the difference. This research is a quantitative research with

descriptive-comparative. The samples included 221 students. The data were analyzed by

using descriptive statistics normal curve by determining the mean (average); calculating the

percentage that exists in a particular category and analyzing t-test. The findings of the

research showed 42.7% of male students’ self-efficacy are at moderate category of and

47.2% of female students are at high category. This research also revealed a significant

difference of both female and male students’ self-efficacy. The implication of the research is

it is expected that counselors provide guidance and counseling services to improve and

develop self-efficacy, especially towards male students as self-efficacy of male students is

lower than female students.

Keywords:Self-Efficacy, Gender

How to Cite:Ifdil, I., Apriani, R., Yendi, F. M., & Bolo Rangka, I. (2016). Level of Students` Self-

Efficacy Based on Gender. Counsedu: The International Journal of Counseling and Education, 1(1), 29–33.

DOI: 10.23916/29-33.0016.11-i41b

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and

Introduction

The quality of human resources is crucial to create a better life (Hariandja&Hardiwati, 2002). It is

undeniable that the progress of a nation depends heavily on the quality of the people in the country,

especially young generation (Effendi & Politics, 2007; Riyadi, 2000). One of the strategic lines to realize

the quality of human resources is of course education.

Self- personal development through education can be an alternative to prepare individuals to encounter

global competition. On the other hand, education continues to increase the standard, so that graduates are

able to compete in the global market. This indirectly requires the individuals to further develop their

abilities, so that academic achievement can be optimized.

Hence, a student as an individual should have a strong belief in academic achievement. This concept is

called self-efficacy. According to Bandura (in Feist & Feist 2011: 212) "Self-efficacy is a person's belief in

his ability to do some controls over one's own functioning and events in the neighborhood". Self-efficacy

helps to develop educational talent with involvement in learning activities. Through these activities, the

level of achievement and motivation usually increases and has positive influence.

According to Bandura (Feist & Feist in 2011), a student with high self-efficacy for a particular topic

believes in his own ability to complete a task, find correct answer, achieve goals, and often excel his peers.

While a student with low self-efficacy on a particular topic who does not believe in his own ability will feel

depressed to complete the task as he observes that others can successfully perform a task which he

considers too difficult.

COUNS-EDU 
Vol.1, No.1, December 2016
Available online: http://journal.konselor.or.id/index.php/counsedu Ifdil, I., Apriani, R., Yendi, F. M., & Bolo Rangka, I.

Level of Students` Self-Efficacy Based on Gender | 30

This is in line with Schunk (in Santrock, 2012), that has implemented the concept of self-efficacy to

various aspects of student achievement, ie self-efficacy influences the choice of students’ activities (Raub&

Liao, 2012). Students with low self-efficacy in terms of learning may avoid some learning tasks,

particularly challenging tasks. Instead, students with high self-efficacy immediately want to finish the

learning tasks to gain good achievement.

Associated with academic achievement, according to a research by SartiniNuryoto (1998) female

students achieve better than male as female are more diligent, thorough (especially for mathematics

subject), and willing to listen well. Their emotional attitude which is more dominant than the physical

strength has put female in a very good position. Thus, in general it is found that female students occupy

the top 10 ranks in each school. This is similar to what Martono et al stated (2009) in which female in

general achieve better than male. Theoretically, female students perform better than male because they are

more motivated and work more diligently in doing school work, self-belief of female is better than male,

and female prefer to read compared to male (Santrock, 2012 ).

From the findings, it can be concluded that there is difference in the academic achievement of female

and male. Instead of observing the difference in the academic achievement of both female and male

students, other aspects on difference of gender were also found in the research findings conducted by

DinniJufitaPutri (2013), which revealed that in mathematics, self-efficacy of male is higher than female

students, yet in Bahasa Indonesia female achieves better than male students.

Therefore, this research would like to describe self-efficacy of female student, self-efficacy of male

students, and examine whether there are differences in self-efficacy of female and male students.

Method

This research is a descriptive-comparative research (Anas Sudijono, 2005; Arikunto, 2002; Gall, Borg,

& Gall, 1996) with the total sample 221 students selected by using stratified random sampling technique

(Levy &Lemeshow, 2013; de Vries, 1986; Stokes, Davis, & Koch, 2012). The instrument used to collect

data in this research was self-efficacy scale. To answer the research problem about the level of students'

self-efficacy, the data were processed by using descriptive statistics (Santoso, 2003), by determining the

mean (average) which calculated percentage in a particular category. While to prove the research hipotesis

on differences in the level of students’ self-efficacy based on gender is processed by using t-Test formula

(Samuels, Witmer, and Schaffner, 2012). The data were analyzed by using SPSS version 22 for Windows.

Results and Discussions

Based on the overall results of the research, out of the 221 students as the sample, 5.4% of students

have very high self-efficacy, 37.6% of students have high self-efficacy, 38.5% of students have a moderate

self-efficacy, and 15.8% of students are in the category of low self-efficacy, and 2.5% of students have very

low self-efficacy. The results of this study showed that majority of the students have moderate self-efficacy.

From the result of analysis, the level of female students’ self-efficacy showed that 4.8% of students have

very high self-efficacy, 47.2% of students have high self-efficacy, 35.2% of students have moderate self-

efficacy, 11. 2% of students are in the category of low self-efficacy, and 1.6% of students have very low self-

efficacy. Based on these results it can be concluded that most female students have high self-efficacy.

While the result of the level of male students’ self-efficacy, out of 96 students, 6.2% of students have

very high self-efficacy, 25% of students have high self-efficacy, 42.7% of students have moderate self-

efficacy, and 21.9% of students are in the category of low self-efficacy, and 4.2% of students have very low

self-efficacy. These results indicate that most male students have moderate self-efficacy.

The results of this research showed that female students’ self-efficacy are at high category and male

students’ are at moderate category. This means that students are at passable category but it needs to be

improved in order to achieve the level of very high self-efficacy. According to Bandura (2002) individuals

who have high academic self-efficacy will have the attitude of: (a) being ready to participate more in the

completion of the learning task, (b) working hard, (c) having a longer persistence when facing difficulties

than those who doubt their own abilities, (d) encouraging self to look for any positive efforts to improve

achievement and personal welfare, (e) accelerating interest in a particular matter and be soluble in pleasure

COUNS-EDU 
The International Journal of Counseling and Education Vol.1, No.1, December 2016

Level of Students` Self-Efficacy Based on Gender| 31

activities, (f) making difficult tasks as a challenge and being motivated to finish it, (g) planning challenging

goals and maintaining a strong commitment, (h) continuously striving against laziness, and (i) if

experience a failure, then quickly fix it and re-arrange themselves.

Self-efficacy is a substantial matter in determining a person to act, think and react when facing

unpleasant situations (Bandura, 2002). This means that when students encounter unpleasant situations like

facing a difficult task, the presence of students’ self-efficacy is able to step in and react positively to cope

with these situations.

The results of this research also showed that there are some students who are in very low category.

Students who have low self-efficacy tend to doubt their abilities. Students with low self-efficacy will keep

off a difficult task as the students see them as thread. This is influenced by emotional condition, in which

this strong emotion will usually reduce performance when a person experiences a strong fear, acute

anxiety, or high stress level, and is likely to have a low efficacy expectation (Feist & Feist, 2011).

Is there any difference in the level of self-efficacy of male and female? To answer this research problem,

the results of the data analysis showed the value of t-test obtained is 2.962 and significance (Sig 2-tailed) of

0.003. since the significance is <0.05 then Ho is rejected. So, it can be concluded that there is difference in

the average students’ self-efficacy of male and female students.

Many factors affect level of ones’ self-efficacy, one of them according to Bandura (2002) is culture and

gender. Culture influences self-efficacy through value, belief, and self-regulatory process which serves as an

assessment source of self-efficacy as well as the consequences of a belief in self-efficacy. In addition, gender

influences self-efficacy in which female students have higher self-efficacy in managing their role.

The results of this research support the results of other research, such as one conducted by Kumar and

Lal (2006) proves that there is a significant difference in the academic achievement of Bahasa Indonesia

between male and female, where female students achieve better than male students. According to Kumar

and Lal (2006), there is a significant difference between gender and intelligence, where female scored

higher than male. This is probably because female students spend more time to learn while male students

tend to be lazy to learn, but it cannot prove that male are less intelligent than female. Martono et al (2009)

also found that female students perform better than male because female are more motivated and work

more diligently than men in doing school work, self-belief of female students is better than male, and they

prefer to read than male. Coles and Hall (2002) found that boys less like reading compared to girls.

As stated by Pintrich and Groot (1990) in their research, self-efficacy is positively related to academic

achievement. Students, who believe with their ability, use cognitive and metacognitive strategies in order

to pass the difficult tasks. Shunk also has applied the concept of self-efficacy to various aspects of student

achievement; and self-efficacy influences the choice of students’ activities (Shunk in Santrock, 2012).

Students with low self-efficacy in terms of learning, may avoid a variety of learning tasks, particularly

challenging tasks. On the other hand, students with high self-efficacy may not wait to finish the learning

tasks.

Conclusions

From the research conducted, it can be concluded that self-efficacy of female students is categorized as

high, self-efficacy of male students is categorized as moderate, and there is difference in the average of

students’ self-efficacy both in female and male students.

Based on the results of the research, the researchers propose some suggestions to teachers of guidance

and counseling in general that there is an average difference in the result of research of self-efficacy both

female and male students so that it is expected that counselor’s direct guidance and counseling services to

which could improve and develop to self-efficacy, especially to male students as they have lower self-

efficacy than female students. Counselors are expected to further optimize the BK 17 plus (guidance and

counseling 17 plus approach – Counseling approach base of Indonesian Culture) which is appropriate and

in accordance with the students’ needs as an effort to foster, develop and improve self-efficacy by creating

a learning group counseling which consists of male and female students. After that, counselors collaborate

with parents to increase self-efficacy.

COUNS-EDU 
Vol.1, No.1, December 2016
Available online: http://journal.konselor.or.id/index.php/counsedu Ifdil, I., Apriani, R., Yendi, F. M., & Bolo Rangka, I.

Level of Students` Self-Efficacy Based on Gender | 32

Then for the next researchers, it is expected that they are able to enrich the research by taking other

variable beside self-efficacy.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank UniversitasNegeri Padang and UniversitasIndraprastaPGRI for the financial

assistant under the Fundamental Research Grant. Finally, we express much gratitude to all student who

participated on this research.

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