Social cognitive theory suggests that individuals' beliefs about their efficacy in specific contexts, such as school, influence their motivation in those settings. The relationship between various sociocultural factors and the development of adolescents' perceived academic self-efficacy are investigated in this paper. Participants (N=202), drawn from grades 7 and 10 at a rural secondary school in an island community, completed several measures of self-efficacy. Students also answered open-ended questions about grades in school, career expectations, and how they thought they were viewed by parents, peers, and teachers. The students' responses were compared to those of mainland students and analysis suggested that the island students reported lower perceived self-efficacy for academic achievement in all academic domains, except biology. This exception could be explained by the fact that the students' rural island lifestyle made them more familiar and thus more comfortable with plants and animals. Results indicate that being male and being a native islander was associated with lower self-efficacy for self-regulated learning. It is suggested that the sociocultural context provides different information to native boys and girls regarding their performances at home and at school. (RJM)