Self-Efficacy and Students’ Academic Achievement Level of Attributional Ambiguity in Public Secondary Schools in Bomet East Sub-County, Kenya

ABSTRACT : Background: Examination results do not explain themselves, and students must decide whether a grade reflects ability, effort, preparation, task difficulty or circumstances beyond their control. Self-efficacy is strongly linked to achievement, but whether it influences how clearly students can explain their results is unknown, particularly in rural Kenyan secondary schools. Objective: To determine the influence of self-efficacy on students’ academic achievement level of attributional ambiguity in Bomet East Sub-County, Kenya. Methods: A correlational, cross-sectional design guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Attribution Theory was used. A sample of 365 Form Four students in 19 of 48 public secondary schools was drawn through purposive selection of schools, probability proportional to size allocation and simple random sampling. A selfadministered five-point Likert questionnaire measured self-efficacy and attributional ambiguity. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and simple linear regression in SPSS at the .05 level. Results: The response rate was 100%. Self-efficacy was high (M = 83.36, SD = 11.81) and attributional ambiguity moderate (M = 55.41, SD = 18.52). Self-efficacy had a very weak, non-significant negative correlation with attributional ambiguity (r = −.049, p = .178) and did not predict it (R² = .002, F(1, 363) = .858, p = .355, B = −.076). The null hypothesis was retained. Conclusion: Confidence in one’s academic capability does not by itself make the causes of results clearer. Ceiling effects, the distinction between task confidence and outcome interpretation, and a shared feedback environment account for the result. Efficacy-building programs should be paired with teaching students to analyze why they obtain their results.

KEYWORDS: self-efficacy; attributional ambiguity; academic achievement; secondary school students; Social Cognitive Theory; Attribution Theory; Kenya