Perceived self-efficacy, personal goals, social comparison, and scientific productivity

The present study investigates the extent to which perceived self-efficacy, personal goals, and upward comparison predict the scientific productivity of academic staff members. Academic staff employed at different Dutch universities (n = 123) answered written questions about their judgment of self-efficacy in the area of research, about the direction of comparison with colleagues (upward, lateral, or downward), and the goals that were pursued. The scientific productivity was determined using the scientific reports. The scientific publications in the three years preceding the answering of the questions functioned as a measure for prior publications, and those in the second year after answering the questions functioned as a measure for future publications. We found that prior publications contributed to self-efficacy and the goals that are pursued. Moreover, the results showed that percepts of self-efficacy and upward comparison contributed to personal goals and that these goals predicted future publications. The results are related to the theories of perceived self-efficacy, upward comparison, and abstract modeling.