In recent years, the lack of students’ motivation has become critical all over the world because of the decrease in work opportunities for young people without general or vocational secondary education. Currently, there is an interest in the ways in which teachers in youth education can foster students’ development of competencies and motivation. This paper explores the premise that teachers should move beyond competencies and motivation and consider the perceived self-efficacy that represents the ‘missing link’ between the two student characteristics. The paper deals with two research questions: how can teachers generate knowledge about perceived self-efficacy, and which aspects of the perceived self-efficacy are the most important in relation to learning outcome
