Social identity is associated with the long-term growth of personal efficacy in an Adventure Education Program (AEP)

Objective: This article examines how social identification and group efficacy contribute to the growth of personal self-efficacy during and following a voyage-based Adventure Education Program (AEP). Method: Study 1 utilized a quasi-experimental nonrandom design to assess whether personal self-efficacy increased among youth who participated in a 10-day sailing AEP compared to youth who did not. Study 2 utilized a longitudinal design to assess whether increased personal self-efficacy found after the AEP would remain 9 months later. In each study, mediation models examined the extent to which social identity predicted increased personal efficacy through group efficacy. Results: Study 1 (n = 150) showed that voyage participants reported increased personal efficacy from the first to the last day of the voyage. Changes among nonvoyage participants over the same period were not significant. Study 2 (n = 153) replicated these effects using an independent sample and demonstrated that the increased efficacy found among voyage participants was maintained over 9 months. In both studies, the effects of social identity on heightened levels of personal efficacy were mediated by group efficacy. Conclusions: Youth taking part in a 10-day voyage experience long-lasting increases in personal self-efficacy. Moreover, positive social identity is associated with higher personal efficacy to the extent that the in-group is perceived to have greater efficacy.