Impact of age and prior knowledge on performance and perceived task difficulty: The role of perceived competence and self-efficacy

• Perceived competence and self-efficacy are distinct but strongly interrelated constructs. • Both constructs mediate the effects of age and prior knowledge on learning outcomes. • Both constructs mediate the link between prior knowledge and performance gains. • Relationships between variables remain stable across different instructional control types. • Study underscores the importance of tailored interventions to enhance competence beliefs. The study aimed to examine whether perceived competence and self-efficacy are empirically distinct constructs, and to test their mediating effects for the relationship between age and prior knowledge on the one hand, and performance and perceived task difficulty during post-test on the other hand. Furthermore, the effects of different types of instructional control on these relationships were investigated. A sample of 261 high school and college students participated in a pre-post-test experimental design with four instructional control conditions (full learner control, limited learner control, adaptive program control, and non-adaptive program control). Results indicated that perceived competence and self-efficacy are distinct constructs and both mediate the relationships between learner characteristics (age, prior knowledge) and outcome measures (performance, perceived task difficulty during post-test). However, no significant differences were found in these relationships across different instructional control conditions. These findings emphasize the importance of distinguishing between perceived competence and self-efficacy in educational settings and highlight their specific mediating roles in the relationship between learner characteristics and outcomes.