Self-Efficacy for Learning and Performance Among Distance Learners in Relation to Gender, Location and Discipline

The present study aimed at studying the self-efficacy for learning and performance motivational belief among distance learners in relation to gender, location and discipline of study. Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ, Pintrich et al., 1991) was used as research tool to measure the self-efficacy for learning and performance motivational belief of randomly selected sample of 655 students doing their post-graduation through distance mode. The findings revealed that significant location-wise differences were reported in which rural distance learners showed high level of self-efficacy for learning and performance motivational belief than urban distance learners. The significant main effect of discipline revealed that distance learners pursuing academic discipline have higher levels of self-efficacy for learning and performance in comparison to distance learners pursuing professional discipline, along with this the interaction effect for location and discipline also found significant in terms of male and female distance learners whereas the main effect of gender was not found significant among distance learners for the self-efficacy for learning and performance motivational belief.