Abstract:

Students’ motivation for learning it is treated on large spaces in the specialized literature. Most of the research highlights the relationship between the academic results obtained by the students and the degree of their involvement in the learning process; in fact, these researches highlight that motivation level is a possible predictor for success and performance. Based on these considerations, the main objective of the paper is to establish a possible correlation between students' motivation for learning and their perception of personal self-efficacy. The paper illustrates the results of an empirical research, carried out on a sample of students which are preparing for a teaching career (educators, teachers). The tools used in the research are standardized and scientifically validated (MSLQ scale and self-efficacy measurement scale). The research results were analyzed according to the following aspects: perception of self-efficacy, objectives and value of students’ beliefs, learning strategies and management of resources used in learning. From the psycho-pedagogical perspective the results obtained draw attention to the need to design the teaching activity in order to satisfy the learning needs of the students. It is also important to stimulate the intrinsic motivation and the creation of learning tasks that capitalize the students' beliefs, their ability to use their personal resources (cognitive, affective, volitional).

Keywords:

Self-efficacy, motivation, learning, goals, learning strategies.