Abstract:

This study aims to analyze how the cognitive background (high or low), the type of school environment (ordinary urban school environment, elite urban school environment, rural school environment), the age (10, 11, or 12 years), and the gender difference, as independent variables, influence the self-efficacy in the creative resolutive approach for mathematical problems.
The research establishes positive conditioning between the evolved cognitive background in an opportune school environment, and the self-efficacy. The appropriate operationalization of the independent, and dependent variables highlights the fact that the students from the elite urban school environment develop a self-efficient resolving behavior in the proportion of 71.43%, compared to those in the experimental group (only 28%) who were specially trained, in the direction of forming, and promoting behavior that generates self-efficacy. In addition, there is a difference of almost ten percentage points between boys (28.49%), and girls (38.01%), suggesting that girls from this group develop more self-efficient behavior at this age (10-12 years).
The study highlights that a strategic and creatogenic configuration of the educational environment, focused on stimulating symbolization, anticipatory thinking, observation, self-regulation and self-reflection, leads to increased self-efficacy.

Keywords:

self-efficacy, creative resolutive approach for mathematical problems, strategic and creatogenic configuration of the educational environment.