Self-Efficacy and the First-Year University Student's Authority of Knowledge: An Exploratory Study

Interviews with a small group of first-year university students assessed perceived self-efficacy in the domain of the ability to locate information in two different research contexts. The study paid particular attention to differences between female and male participant responses. Directions emerged for further research into the relationship between students' perceived self-efficacy with regard both to locating information and to constructing new knowledge.