HomeAnnotated BibliographiesCapstone Experiences Problem-Based Learning and Self-Efficacy: How a Capstone Course Prepares Students for a Profession Share: Section NavigationSkip section navigationIn this sectionAnnotated Bibliographies Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students Capstone Experiences Conditions for Meaningful Learning GenAI and Engaged Learning Global Learning Internships Learning Communities Learning on Location: Place-Based Pedagogies Mentoring Service-Learning Student-Faculty Partnership Supporting Neurodiverse and Physically Disabled Students Undergraduate Research Work-Integrated Learning Writing Transfer In and Beyond the University Reference List Entry:Dunlap, Joanna C. 2005. "Problem-Based Learning and Self-Efficacy: How a Capstone Course Prepares Students for a Profession." Educational Technology Research and Development 53 (1): 65-83. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02504858.About this Journal Article:Dunlap employed a mixed methods approach to study the self-efficacy of 31 students in a required undergraduate capstone course. She analyzed guided journal submissions and triangulated those responses with student responses to a survey tool called the General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, a 10-item scale that “assesses optimistic self-beliefs to cope with a variety of difficult demands in life” (73). Her findings—that students’ participation in a problem-based learning environment impacts students’ sense of capability, especially looking forward to career prospects and their sense of professional identity—offer data to support why capstones serve as a powerful facilitator of transition for students. While her findings are most specific to problem-based learning, a related high impact practice, their basis in a capstone context may help support the development of positively impactful capstone experiences.
