Principles and Practices for Building Academic Self-Efficacy in Middle Grades Language Arts Classrooms

Article Tite:

"Principles and Practices for Building Academic Self-Efficacy in Middle Grades Language Arts Classrooms" 

Authors:

Erin McTigue and Jeffrey Lieu

Permalink:
https://ezproxy.western.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=59529952&site=eds-live 

APA Citation (taken from WSCU Library Website):
McTigue, E., & Liew, J. (2011). Principles and Practices for Building Academic Self-Efficacy in Middle Grades Language Arts Classrooms. Clearing House, 84(3), 114. doi:10.1080/00098655.2010.543191

Summary:
This is a short, but interesting article about promotion both self-efficacy AND self-esteem within quality instruction in the middle school language arts classroom. It briefly describes a multitude of reasons for why middle school students generally struggle with both, and the majority of the article focuses on what the teacher can do to positively affect and promote progressive changes in self-efficacy and/or self-esteem in order for students to be more successful in the language arts classroom. There are six major focuses that the article identifies as things that within the teacher's control in order to promote self-efficacy (the primary focus of the article): 

• Creating a safe and democratic classroom environ- ment
  
• Integrating social and emotional learning into literacy assignments
  
• Monitoring and assessing students’ academic self- efficacy
  
• Modeling self-efficacy within academic learning
  
• Providing effective feedback
  
• Facilitating self-evaluation and goal-setting 
  

 I am really fond of this particular article for two reasons: the first is that it primarily focuses on WHAT teachers can actively (and seamlessly) do within their regular classrooms to promote self-efficacy and increased internal motivation of students; secondly, the article boasts a wide variety of references in which I am able to continue and further my research.