ABSTRACT
Beliefs about text must be examined within the context of individuals’ beliefs about themselves, their perceptions of their future possible selves, and their beliefs about the world and how it works. The research on self-efficacy beliefs relates in part to this issue of self-knowledge. Yet, the goal of self-efficacy research seems to be to provide one a window to one’s self-system beliefs. Self-system beliefs affect all that one does and encompass beliefs that are abstracted from a particular time and place. Although the contributors to this volume have given us glimpses into self-system beliefs, the portrayal remains sketchy at best. Beliefs and their influence on learning and instruction must be embedded in models that stress interactions among skill, will, and self-regulation dimensions. One aspect of beliefs that should be explored in the future relates to learners’ personal goals. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.
