Confidence in the Classroom: How Self-Efficacy Shapes the Independent Character of Senior High School Students in Science Learning Activities

Abstract

Indonesian education policy now names independence as part of the graduate profile, yet how students actually become independent during ordinary science lessons has rarely been examined up close. This study describes how self-efficacy shapes the independent character of eleventh-grade students during science learning activities at a state senior high school in Pacitan Regency. Using a qualitative case study, data were gathered from ten purposively selected students with contrasting self-efficacy tendencies and one science teacher through in-depth interviews, classroom observation, and document review, then analyzed thematically following Miles and Huberman with technique and source triangulation, member checking, thick description, and an audit trail. Independent character appeared in four connected aspects, namely responsibility, initiative, adaptability, and self-reflection, all observable in group discussion, presentation, and written tasks rather than laboratory work. Students with stronger self-efficacy showed a fuller and steadier pattern, while several students with weaker self-efficacy began to grow after small successes and encouragement. Among the four sources of self-efficacy, mastery experience mattered most, verbal persuasion and vicarious experience reinforced it, and emotional states mainly acted as a manageable obstacle. The central finding is that self-efficacy does not create independence directly but works through a process of choosing to try, investing effort, persisting, and recovering from failure, with peer support and a reciprocal link between belief and action standing out as notable patterns. Teachers can nurture independence by designing graded tasks that let every student experience success, giving specific and timely encouragement, and using peer learning, without depending on laboratory facilities.