THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-REGULATION, SELF-EFFICACY, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-REGULATION, SELF-EFFICACY, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-

BEING AMONG SALAHADDIN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN KURDISTAN

BY

REBEN RAMADHAN SALEH

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology)

Kulliyyah of Education

International Islamic University Malaysia

AUGUST 2021

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ABSTRACT

Self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being are essential requirements in the academic environment. Psychological well-being is an indispensable ingredient for students’ emotional balance and healthy development because a low level of psychological well-being modifies unsuccessfulness in educational settings. The recent study investigated the relationship between self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among Kurdish students at Salahaddin University. It holds the following objectives: (i) to examine the prevalence level of self-regulation, self- efficacy, and psychological well-being among Salahaddin undergraduate students; (ii) to examine the relationship of self-regulation and self-efficacy with psychological well- being among Salahaddin undergraduate students; and (iii) to examine the effect of self- regulation and self-efficacy on psychological well-being among Salahaddin undergraduate students. The used data comprised 407 students after removing outliers.

The quota sampling technique was chosen in the present study. Analysis techniques were descriptive, person correlation, and Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA). The research shows that there is a low level of self-regulation and self-efficacy among Salahaddin undergraduate students. However, psychological well-being is high. The study further demonstrates a positive and statistically significant relationship between self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among Salahaddin undergraduate students. Finally, the study shows that only self-regulation has a significant effect on the psychological well-being of Salahaddin undergraduate students.

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صخلم

نم لك برتعي ةئيبلا في ةيساسأ تابلطتم ةيسفنلا ةيهافرلاو ،ةيتاذلا ةءافكلاو ،تياذلا ميظنتلا

ةساردلا تثبح .ةييمداكلأا ةيلالحا

ةيسفنلا ةيهافرلاو ،ةيتاذلا ةءافكلاو ،تياذلا ميظنتلا ينب ةقلاعلا

.نيدلا حلاص ةعماج في داركلأا بلاطلا ينب ُّدعُي

رلا رصنع يسفنلا هاف ا

نزاوتل هنع نىغ لا

يحصلاو يفطاعلا ومنلا في بلاطلا إ ذإ

يسفنلا هافرلا نم ضفخنلما ىوتسلما ن يدؤي

ةعيبطب

لىإ لالحا في حاجنلا مدع

ةساردلل .ةيميلعتلا طاسولأا ةيلالحا

فادهأ ةعبرأ يلي اميف لثمتت

:

راشتنا ىوتسم صحف نم لك

بلاط ينب ةيسفنلا ةيهافرلاو ،ةيتاذلا ةءافكلاو ،تياذلا ميظنتلا

.نيدلا حلاص في سويرولاكبلا اهفادهأ نم نأ امك

صحف ةيتاذلا ةءافكلاو تياذلا ميظنتلا ةقلاع

ينب يسفنلا هافرلا عم لا ءلاؤه

.بلاط ىلع ةيتاذلا ةءافكلاو تياذلا ميظنتلا يرثتأ صحف ،اًيرخأ و

دل يسفنلا هافرلا مهي

ةمدختسلما تناايبلا تنمضت . 407

ط ةفرطتلما ميقلا ةلازإ دعب اًب لا

، دقو

صصلحبا تانيعلا ذخأ ةينقت رايتخا تم لئاسو تدمتعا ةساردلا نأ امك ،

ليلتح تلثتمو ةددعتم

لا :في طابترا ،فصو نوسيرب

( ددعتلما رادنحلاا ليلتحو ىوتسم كانه نأ ثحبلا رهظي .) MRA

فخنم اض عمو ،نيدلا حلاص في ةيعمالجا ةلحرلما بلاط ينب ةيتاذلا ةيلاعفلاو تياذلا ميظنتلا نم

.عفترم يسفنلا هافرلا نإف ،كلذ امك

ةللاد تاذو ةيبايجإ ةقلاع كانه نأ ةساردلا ترهظأ

ينب ةيئاصحإ حلاص ةعماج بلاط ينب ةيسفنلا ةيهافرلاو ،ةيتاذلا ةءافكلاو ،تياذلا ميظنتلا

اًيرخأ .نيدلا

، أ رهظ ت تياذلا ميظنتلا نأ ةساردلا -

ىرخلأا لماوعلا نود هدحو -

يربك يرثتأ هل

.نيدلا حلاص في ةيعمالجا ةلحرلما بلاط ينب ةيسفنلا ةحصلا ىلع

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APPROVAL PAGE

I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Education.

..……….

Nik Ahmad Hisham Ismail Supervisor

I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Education.

..……….

Siti Rafiah Abd Hamid Examiner

This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology &

Counseling and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Education.

…………..……….

Norwati Mansor

Head, Department of Educational Psychology & Counseling

This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Education and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Education.

..……….

Noor Lide Abu Kassim Dean, Kulliyyah of Education

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at the International Islamic University Malaysia or other institutions.

Reben Ramadhan Saleh

Signature……… Date……….

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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF

FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH

THE RELATIONSHIP BETEEN SELF-REGULATION, SELF- EFFICACY, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG

SALAHADDIN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN KURDISTAN

I declare that the copyright holders of this dissertation are jointly owned by the student and IIUM.

No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below:

1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.

2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.

3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieved system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.

By signing this form, I acknowledged that I have read and understand the IIUM Intellectual Property Right and Commercialisation policy.

Affirmed by Reben Ramadhan Saleh

………... ……….

Signature Date

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Dedicated to Zeravan Akram – my hero friend – who martyred in Kobani during the defense of Kurdistan against ISIS (2015)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to anyone and everyone who have extended their help, whether direct or indirect, for the pursuit of this postgraduate degree; those who have selflessly shared their ideas and knowledge, and supported me even through a single word. My utmost thanks to my classmates and my unforgettable lecturers.

I would also like to thank my wonderful supervisor, Prof. Dr. Nik Ahmad Hisham Ismail. Thank you for your guidance and care in encouraging me to remain motivated and further develop myself as an independent and critical learner.

My highest gratitude goes to my beloved family members, my father, Ramadhan Saleh, and my mother, Fatima Ahmed, my sister Xamgin, my brothers, Renas, Regar, Rawaz, Muhammad, and Rawsht.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ... 14

2.1 Introduction ... 14

2.2 Self-Regulation ... 14

2.2.1 Social Cognitive Models of the Development of Self- Regulation ... 14

2.2.2 Self-Regulation Components ... 16

2.2.3 Previous Studies on Self-Regulation ... 18

2.3 Self-Efficacy ... 20

2.3.1 Related Theory of Self-Efficacy ... 21

2.3.2 Sources of Self-Efficacy ... 24

2.3.3 Previous Studies on Self-Efficacy ... 26

2.4 Psychological Well-being ... 27

2.4.1 Self-Determination Theory (SDT) ... 28

2.4.2 The Dimension of Psychological Well-being ... 31

2.4.3 Previous Studies on Psychological Well-being ... 34

2.5 Systematic Literature Review ... 37

2.6 Chapter Summary ... 46

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ... 47

3.2 Research Design... 47

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3.3 Setting and Population ... 47

3.4 Sample... 48

3.4.1 Characteristics ... 49

3.4.2 Sample Size ... 49

3.4.3 Sampling Procedure ... 50

3.5 Instrumentation ... 51

3.6 Validity of Questionnaire Translation ... 53

3.7 Validity and Reliability ... 54

3.8 Pilot Study ... 54

3.9 Data Collection Procedure ... 55

3.10 Data Analysis ... 56

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT ... 58

4.2 Part One ... 58

4.2.1 Data Screening ... 58

4.2.2 Error and Missing Data ... 58

4.2.3 Outliers ... 59

4.2.4 Normality ... 59

4.3 Demographic Response ... 60

4.4 Research Questions ... 61

4.4.1 RQ1 ... 61

4.4.2 RQ2 ... 62

4.4.3 RQ3 ... 63

4.4.4 RQ4 ... 64

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION ... 69

5.2 Findings... 70

5.3 Discussion ... 71

5.4 Implication on Practice ... 75

5.5 Recommendations ... 76

5.6 Conclusion ... 77

REFERENCES ... 79

APPENDIX I: QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) ... 86

APPENDIX II: QUESTIONNAIRE (KURDISH VERSION) ... 93

APPENDIX III: RELIABILITY OF PILOT TEST ... 99

APPENDIX IV: TABLES FOR DATA SCANNING AND CLEANING ... 100

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LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page No.

2.1 Social Cognitive Model of the Development of Self-Regulation 15

2.2 Systematic Literature Review 38

3.1 Total Number of Students 48

3.2 The Percentage of Sample Size 51

3.3 Questionnaires 53

3.4 Validity of the Translated Questionnaires 53

3.5 Construct Validity 54

3.6 Pilot Test 55

3.7 Illustration of research question, objectives and analysis 57

4.1 Univariate and Multivariate Normality 60

4.2 Demographic Variables 61

4.3 Mean, SD and Median 62

4.4 Person Correlation for Between Self-Regulation and Psychological

Well-being 63

4.5 Person Correlation between Self-Efficacy and Psychological

Well-being 63

4.6 Value of VIF and Tolerance 66

4.7 Intercorrelations between Constructs 66

4.8 Model Summary 66

4.9 ANOVA 67

4.10 Coefficients 67

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Page No.

1.1 Theoretical Framework 11

1.2 Conceptual Framework 12

2.1 Mutual Interaction 22

2.2 Sources of Self-Efficacy 24

2.3 Basic Need of Self-Determination Theory 29

2.4 Key Aspects and Scientific Foundations of Psychological Well-being 31 3.1 Sample Size Calculation Via Roasoft Online Calculator 50

4.1 Regression Standardised Predicted Value 64

4.2 Observed Cum Prob 65

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The modern educational institutions are playing an influential role in student life as an appropriate sector for the development of students’ social and academic capacities.

University students have a proper opportunity to comprehend what they possess as domestic abilities to manage themselves, which they then use to pursue real happiness as a psychological requirement to fulfil their life. The recent study investigates the relationship between self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among Kurdish students at Salahaddin University. It is assumed that the students’ level of self- efficacy and self-regulation will affect their psychological well-being.

Students have the capacity to control their thoughts and behaviours. At the same time, negative and positive feedback systems will be involved in self-regulation, including reduction and growth (Zhou & Brown, 2015). Genuine students have powerful self-regulation skills to manage their career consciously. These skills influence their thinking, actions, and emotion accurately in ordinary life aspects. In addition, learners with a significant level of self-regulation ability enjoy high academic achievement and avoid impulsive and violent behaviour. Self-regulation allows students to get along with others well and enhances goal setting. Students with low self- regulation may face mental and behavioural issues as well as academic-based problems.

On the other hand, having self-regulation increases academic success, social competence, and positive development (Zimmerman, 2000). Self-regulation is defined as a strategy of beliefs, feelings, and behaviours that will inspire individual objectives

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(Ferdowsi, 2013). High self-regulation evaluates self-control and accelerate academic achievement across the learning process (Montroy, 2014). Additionally, self-regulation has a connection with individual performance which includes setting priorities, plan of activities, and monitoring progress (Beeftink, Eerde Rutt& 2012).

Self-regulation training is a form of education in which students start and manage their duty by themselves instead of merely being influenced by teachers, parents, friends, or other educational assistants to practice their talents and experience.

Furthermore, self-regulation refers to the learning process to improve learners’ activities to involve interpersonal, motivation, cognitive, and metacognitive terms. The improvement of self-regulation allows students to consider multiple experiences rationally across various realms, which are academic achievement, personality, social skills, and psychological well-being (McMillan, 2010; Pintrich, 2004). (Los, 2014) suggests that students’ academic success is due to appropriating self-regulation within cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, and resource management.

Albert Bandura created the Social Learning Theory (SLT) to demonstrate how students learn and improve. Bandura discovered the missing part of the developmental theory to maintain the confidence or willingness of a student to accomplish functions and acquire capabilities (Pajares & Schunk, 2002). Also, the idea of personal self- efficacy was the main point for this theory (Behjoo, 2013). According to Bandura, self- efficacy is distinguished as peoples’ beliefs about their ability to produce an appropriate level of performance in improving human production and individual well-being (Pajares

& Schunk, 2002). Furthermore, belief drives people to approach their objectives (GhonsoolyFerdowsi, 2013). Moreover, the presumption of people’s skills will make them available to vanquish complicated tasks instead of threatening or trying to avoid

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difficulties (Bandura, 1994a). Also, Pajares posits that people with a firm degree of self- efficacy take on more difficult tasks (Motlagh et al., 2011).

Bandura (1994) laid down four causes of self-efficacy. They are vicarious experiences, enactive mastery, verbal persuasions, and physiological being(Feist et al., 2013). Students with a high level of self-efficacy are claimed to be a better predictor in academic outcomes compared with previous achievements or intrinsic ability without understanding abilities consciously (Ryan E.B. Los, 2010). Having high levels of self- efficacy motivates confidence in representatives, and holding regular common performance to begin the consideration of the ability to regulate individual’s behaviour.

From Albert Bandura’s point of view, self-efficacy is recognised separately from other similar constructs, such as self-esteem and self-concept. Self-esteem refers to the assessment of one’s self, and self-concept considers individuality, for instance, different identity from others. Thus, self-esteem and self-concept refer to internal feelings for someone who notices the self, but self-efficacy draws the beliefs or expectations of individuals in the capabilities to deliver specific tasks (Ryan E.B. Los, 2010). That is why knowing capabilities is crucially important, especially for university students to obtain a satisfactory outcome to enhance social contraction as a basic form of psychological well-being.

Self-efficacy has been described by (DeWitz, S. Woolsey, 2009) as individuals’

self-confidence in their strength to accomplish a responsibility. In addition, high self- efficacy obtains high levels of communication proficiency (Wildauer, 2017). From Bandura's perspective, the expectations of efficacy attempt individuals to determine appropriate actions to strengthen their activities. It has a great influence on academic success and students’ responsibilities practically instead of imagining. Besides, students will be able to predict and design to fulfil activities based on unique skills.

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Within psychological theories, psychological well-being has become a controversial term in the half of the last century to concentrate on human development, life challenges, and the contribution of individuals’ complete growth and improvement.

In addition, psychologists were interested in the extensive growth and development of an individual, for example, self-actualisation as scrutinised by Maslow (1968), full functioning as brought forward by Rogers (1961), and the matter individualisation as studied by Jung (1933) (Zappala, 2007 & Ryff & Singer, 1996).

Psychological well-being has been outlined by (Ryff, D., & Keyes, 1995) to include six dimensions for positive psychological functioning (Durand-Bush et al., 2015). They are (i) self-acceptance, or having a positive self-regard which drives awareness of individual limitations; (ii) positive relations with others, or establishing and maintaining warm relations with others; (iii) autonomy, or having a sense of personality and individual freedom; (iv) environmental mastery, or making a strong sense to fulfil individuals’ needs and wishes; (v) purpose in life, or the path in life which will complete people’s efforts and difficulties; and (vi) personal growth, or the dynamics in life and continuous development of human abilities (Vázquez, C., Hervás, G., Rahona, J. J., & Gómez, 2009).

Ryan and Deci (2000) introduced the theory of self-determination as a contribution to the meaning of life because of the embodiment of three natural psychological needs such as competence, connectedness, and autonomy that have been theorised as inevitable for development, authenticity, and well-being based on humanistic view (Diprose, 2007). Psychological well-being is a necessary component for the balance of emotional and healthy development because a low level of psychological well-being modifies unsuccessfulness in educational settings. According to Diener (2000), the cognitive and emotional assessments of a person’s existence have

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been defined as psychological well-being, including warm responses to events with cognitive happiness and fulfilment decisions (Zappala, 2007). Psychological well-being usually requires ideas which are happiness, self-actualisation, vitality, self-acceptance, existence with meaning, optimum functioning, and satisfaction with life. Psychological well-being leads to the meaning of life, personal development, mastery, autonomy, satisfaction with life, positive effects, consistency, and hopefulness (Claudia Trudel- Fitzgerald, Rachel A. Millstein, Christiana von Hippel, Chanelle J. Howe, Linda Powers Tomasso, 2019).

Self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being are essential requirements in the academic atmosphere, which is therefore a motivating factor for the current study which investigates the relationship between self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among Kurdish students at Salahaddin University.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Issues in educational institutions require precise investigation through academic research. University students have been facing challenges in choosing specialisations, living in the dormitory, thinking about future life, and suffering from academic stress as they consider the next stages of their academic and non-academic plans (Dierkes, 2020). These problems extend to securing a job following their graduation and attaining good grades. These are concerning dilemmas as they may affect self-regulation and self- efficacy on psychological well-being among undergraduate university students.

The current pandemic adds to this conundrum as physical classes are reduced, and the need to keep social distance due to the threat of the disease can have an impact on students’ psychological well-being. There is inadequacy of consideration on the

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psychological dimension during the Coronavirus outbreak, as world governments are more concerned about vaccinations and healthcare rather than the psychological aspect.

Academic achievement and motivation via self-efficacy and self-regulatory skills have been revealed as a result of several studies (Ferdowsi, 2013). The concentration towards self-efficacy influences advanced functions for estimating students’ activities to increase academic motivation (Zimmerman, 2000a). Self-efficacy decreases stresses and promotes academic achievement (Siddiqui, 2015). Students may face difficulties in their study if they fail to regulate themselves in making decisions and to obtain psychological well-being. Because they have no adequate idea about their abilities, they are susceptible to face anxiety easily. Klassen and Usher (2010) have introduced self-efficacy as an indispensable factor throughout educational settings for students’ prognosticating to advance their positions and academic activities. The level of self-efficacy of students in the learning process is a positive experience for the academic challenge that will strengthen their confidence on their own potential to achieve and accomplish a particular subject or decision to choose an academic specialisation (Ryan E.B. Los, 2010).

The literature has shown the absence of a study which examines self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among Kurdish students. Even less study considered university students’ self-efficacy and self-regulation. As self-efficacy can also be implemented to psychological well-being (Taştan, 2014), exploring a unique strategy to enhance students’ self-regulation will be a significant change in reducing stress and improving their psychological well-being (Dierkes, 2020). Self-efficacy can improve the student population’s learning abilities, life fulfilment, and well-being as a whole, and these self-efficacy and self-regulatory strategies can subsequently allow them to control their emotions, thoughts, and behaviours (Saroughi, 2019).

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There is a lack of academic survey on university students which includes the six dimensions of psychological well-being (i.e., personal growth, purpose in life, positive relations with others, autonomy, self-acceptance, and environmental mastery) based on the influence of self-regulation and self-efficacy as both constructs share a dynamic interplay and have a reciprocal association (Ferdowsi, 2013). Psychological well-being can motivate individuals to better change their current circumstances. The absence of psychological well-being causes people to depend on external conditions, blaming the self for any reason, and estimate the condition as permanent (Zappala, 2007).

A clearer picture is thus required of the relationships between self-regulation, self-efficacy and psychological well-being. The current study can therefore contribute to the enhancement of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being by filling the gap in the investigation of these variables’ association.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study seeks to investigate and obtain further understanding on the relationship between self-regulation and self-efficacy with psychological well-being among university students at Salahaddin University in Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

1- To investigate the prevalence level of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among Salahaddin undergraduate students.

2- To inspect the relationship between self-regulation and psychological well- being among Salahaddin undergraduate students.

3- To examine the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well- being among Salahaddin undergraduate students.

4- To determine the effect of self-regulation and self-efficacy on psychological well-being among Salahaddin undergraduate students.

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8 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research questions below will lead the study to achieve its aim of the following phenomenon:

RQ1: What is the prevalence level of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among Salahaddin undergraduate students?

RQ2: Is there any relationship between self-regulation and psychological well- being among Salahaddin undergraduate students?

RQ3: Is there any relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well- being among Salahaddin undergraduate students?

RQ4: Do self-regulation and self-efficacy affect the psychological well-being of Salahaddin undergraduate students?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF` THE STUDY

The result of the recent investigation will present a serviceable understanding and determine the level of self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among students in an academic setting.

This study will further identify the relationships between self-regulation, self- efficacy and psychological well-being. In the case of inadequacy in the levels of self- regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being, such is seen as an obstacle in the achievement of students’ purpose. A heightened level of these constructs, on the other hand, encourage readiness for reducing negative thoughts in this complicated and trying time. The present study will assist relevant parties and stakeholders such as the Ministry of Higher Education to actively contribute in enhancing students’ level of self- regulation and self-efficacy, and identify the barriers. Furthermore, as this study can identify the relationship between self-regulation self-efficacy, and psychological well-

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being. Also, (Boekaerts & Cascallar, 2006), indicated the significant relationship of self-efficacy and self-regulation as key factors in the progress and psychological well- being of students (Saroughi, 2019).

The main constructs of the current study are required for university students as frameworks in determining authorities and solving daily life problems (Ryan, 2010). Self-efficacy drives purpose in life, particularly when a person is capable of predicting his/her abilities about the challenges. Students, for example, can discover the purpose of their academic endeavour based on their assumptions. (DeWitz, Woolsey, 2009) indicate the influential role of self-efficacy on behaviour to increase students’

sense of motivation in life, and they have identified self-efficacy as a necessary factor to improve behaviours for achieving life goals, and that positive experience can be obtained by college students through self-efficacy.

The result of this study can be an eye-opener for all relevant parties to build specific strategies which will encourage students to better comprehend their capabilities and manage themselves on behalf of psychological well-being as a significant target to reduce students’ stress. Furthermore, this study will help students to effectively organise themselves on promoting psychological well-being that will influence all aspects of life.

Finally, the current study will fill the literature gap about the relationship between self- regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among undergraduate students.

1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Internal and external sources can form the students’ psychological well-being. This study formulates a correlation model to address the relationship between self-regulation, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among undergraduate Salahaddin university

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students. This study is conducted through the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory (SCT).

The social cognitive theory is extended based on the earlier work of social learning theory by (Bandura, & McClelland, 1977). Social cognitive theory incorporates several assumptions which are enactive and vicarious learning, reciprocal interactions, and self-regulatory processing. The first assumption details how observation of a model produces learning vicariously. The second assumption defines the reciprocal interaction of learning experiences among a person, behaviour, and environment. The final assumption is a self-regulatory process, personal agency, and the ability of an individual to maintain power over their behaviour and thought within a learning environment intrinsically (Goffena, 2020). Bandura’s theory includes both self-regulation and self- efficacy components. In the case of self-regulation, individuals regulate behaviour by internal reinforcement or punishment, while self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in his/her ability to attain desirable goals as a result of their actions (Zhou & Brown, 2015).

Social cognitive theory indicates environmental influences on human functions as evidence that individuals are not singularly affected through internal or external sources while these components (i.e., person, environment, and behaviour) are interplayed reciprocally. A sense of self and recognising individuals’ expectations are profoundly affected by person, environment, and behaviour, and play important roles in the process of learning, achievement, and psychological well-being of students, especially during college years (Saroughi, 2019). According to ( Bandura, 1996), self- efficacy refers to the understanding of the individual capacity to produce strategies to control current conditions. He explained that capacity affects life goals which are directly connected to emotions, feelings, and attitudes (Howatt, 2012). Self-efficacy is

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a controversial construct in the social cognitive theory that depends on these four sources: vicarious experiences, enactive mastery, verbal persuasions, and physiological being.

The theory focuses on producing a sense of self and adjusting to the everyday experiences of life (Roberts, 2007). According to Bandura, there is a causal relationship between a person’s perceived self-efficacy and behavioural adjustment (Zhou & Brown, 2015). From the perspective of social cognitive theory, self-regulation has an important role in regulating individuals’ external situations and attitudes to regulate their thoughts, behaviour, and actions (Saroughi, 2019). The significance of environmental factors and social experiences on the learning and well-being of students are highlighted through the social cognitive theory. The theory includes the dynamic connection between the person, behaviour, and the environment. Furthermore, this theory demonstrates the significance of self-efficacy and self-regulation in the performance and well-being of students (see Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1 Theoretical Framework

In this study, the social cognitive theory is used as a theoretical framework in driving the entire design process to demonstrate the effect of self-regulation and self- efficacy on psychological well-being among university students.

Social Cognitive Theory

(SCT) Bandura (1977)

Person

Psychological well-being

Behaviour Environment

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12 1.7 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Based on the previous theoretical framework, the study proposes an overall concept in its investigation on the relationship between self-regulation, self-efficacy and psychological well-being (see Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2 Conceptual Framework

Based on Figure 1.2, three variables are selected. They are self-regulation (SR), self-efficacy (SE), and psychological well-being (PWB). Whereas SR and SE are the independent variables, PWB is the dependent variable.

1.8 DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study is conducted among undergraduate students at Salahaddin University, a government-funded university in Kurdistan regional government. The investigation includes both genders and students who specialise in social sciences and hard sciences from 15 colleges and differing levels of study. The current research sample size is n=413.

Self-regulation Self-efficacy

Psychological Well-being

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-REGULATION, SELF-EFFICACY, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-