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Self-efficacy beliefs and tennis performance

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Abstract

Theoretical and methodological aspects of self-efficacy theory are assessed in this study, and the tennis performance of 40 active players (M age = 26.6 years) serves as the criterion variable. On a theoretical level, only self-efficacy beliefs, and not response-outcome expectations or the valence thereof, were consistently and significantly related to 12 dimensions of tennis performance. This phenomenon pertained to the relationship of the self-rating of performance as well as to the average of two judges' external ratings of performance and efficacy beliefs, even though the 12 behavioral criteria used were different from the items on the self-efficacy scale. Although Pearson correlations rather than microanalyses were computed to assess the relationship between self-efficacy and performance, the correlations were all positive and significant. Theoretical and empirical implications are suggested.

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Reference Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, 2001, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Julian Barling & Mike Abel

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  1. Julian Barling
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  2. Mike Abel
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Barling, J., Abel, M. Self-efficacy beliefs and tennis performance. Cogn Ther Res 7, 265–272 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205140

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205140

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