My Academic Journey with Bandura
Josephine Yau
When I was young, I had no interest in anything, no motivation, and no goals. Then, one day, I walked into a bookstore and picked up a book about adolescent psychology. It was the first time I learned about Bandura and his work on self-efficacy. This sparked my interest in psychology and helped me set a goal to study psychology at the university.
Inspired by Bandura’s work, I planned and executed a study timetable, observed the study habits of smart classmates, and read books on study skills. Eventually, I was admitted to the University of Hong Kong, majoring in Psychology and Philosophy. Achieving this goal enhanced my self-efficacy and allowed me to study Bandura’s work in personality psychology more deeply.
My academic journey continued with Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy. My PhD research focused on testing a smoking cessation intervention for new fathers. We encouraged mothers to provide spousal support by enhancing their self-efficacy based on social-cognitive theory.
The results were promising! After the intervention, mothers felt more confident in supporting their husbands after receiving up-to-date information about smoking, learning assertive skills to enact a household no-smoking policy, and offering reinforcements to husbands willing to quit. Fathers who smoked were taught to resist tempting environments and peers, improving their self-efficacy to quit smoking.
Now, my research has shifted to exploring students’ career self-efficacy. We are examining its relationship with positive psychology constructs like hope and meaning in life.
Writing this reflection reminded me of my first day as a teacher. I enjoyed interacting with students but lacked confidence in delivering lectures articulately. Social cognitive theory guided my improvement: I attended teaching workshops, observed experienced lecturers, and practiced strategies to reduce anxiety.
Like my younger self, some students struggle with direction and motivation. Bandura’s theory has helped me engage them in academic work and goal-setting. Colleagues and I also designed a course to explore career paths and boost career self-efficacy.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes. We worry about infections, attend online lectures, and miss social interactions. Many feel anxious or depressed. As a teacher and researcher, I aim to explore how students’ academic and social self-efficacy can be maintained, especially as face-to-face learning resumes.
Hong Kong’s competitive environment adds stress for students. I hope to create a thriving classroom by integrating positive psychology and self-efficacy principles. The pandemic has also pressured teachers to adapt to technology, making teaching self-efficacy another critical topic to explore.
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Josephine Yau, PhD, teaches Psychology at the College of International Education, Hong Kong Baptist University. She is skilled in Statistics, Research, Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and Lecturing and is recognized as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).
Representative Publication:
Yuen, M., Yau, J., Datu, J. A. D., Wong, S. W., Chan, R. T., Lau, P. S., & Gysbers, N. C. (2021). Examining the influence of meaning in life and social connectedness on adolescent career self-efficacy. *The Journal of Individual Psychology*, 77(3), 335–361. https://doi.org/10.1353/jip.2021.0024
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AERA SSRL SIG TIMES MAGAZINE Vol. 4, Issue 7 ~ November 2021
