The purpose of this study was to examine whether constructs drawn from invitational theory serve as additional sources of self-efficacy beliefs of students in Grade 6 (N = 468). The hypothesized sources and the invitational constructs each correlated with academic self-efficacy. Invitations, mastery experience, and physiological state predicted the self-efficacy beliefs of boys and of girls. Social persuasions also predicted girls' self-efficacy. Invitations, mastery experience, and social persuasions predicted the self-efficacy beliefs of African American students. For White students, invitations and the four hypothesized sources predicted self-efficacy. Findings refine the tenets of social cognitive theory and suggest that invitations act as a powerful fifth source of self-efficacy. (Contains 2 tables.)