Self-Efficacy and Post-Secondary First-Term Student Achievement

Generalized self-efficacy is the overall belief in one’s ability and Specific self-efficacy is task related. The study examined the extent and manner in which self-efficacy explains variation in first-term GPA. The General Self-Efficacy Scale was adapted and used with a sample of N = 194 students (34% male and 66% female) enrolled in a for-profit career education urban college. The data from two factors derived using an exploratory factor analysis, General self-efficacy and Specific self-efficacy, had alpha reliabilities of . 73 and . 75, respectively. General self-efficacy was correlated r = . 18 with GPA and multiple regression analysis demonstrated that General incremented the explanation of variance 5% in GPA (p < .01). Specific correlated r = . 17 with GPA (p < .05). General and Specific were significantly correlated (r = .42, p < .001). The two independent variables were equal predictors of success. Introduction The study “College” is part of one of the world’s largest for-profit career education organizations operating more than 80 postsecondary institutions. At the College, 100% of the students commute to classes and 60% live in the metropolitan area. Students live in greater Boston’s most difficult neighborhoods and grow up with low family income, abuse, gang violence, drugs, health problems, poor English, and academic underachievement. A study of student responsibility indicated that 54% of community college students are under the age of 25 and are not prepared academically or psychologically, for what will be expected (Howell, 2001). They work to support dependents, frequently require childcare assistance, question their academic ability and perceive teachers as experts who dispense information and wisdom, are frequently first-generation students, and may have weak educational motivation. First-term student success, at the College, is measured by academic achievement (a required minimum GPA of 1.5). Many students receive formal academic warnings at the end of their first term because of poor academic performance in terms of GPA (1.5-2.0) or are involuntarily withdrawn for a GPA less than 1.5. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy, belief in one’s capability (Bandura 1977, 1986, 1993, 1997), and first-term academic success using a modified version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) (Schwarzer, 1992). The College has an open-admissions policy. Only a high school diploma or a GED is required for entry. Admissions representatives have a quota of students to recruit each term. Consequently, admission standards are flexible, as would be expected in a for-profit college. In this business context, being able to predict those students likely to earn a GPA of 1.5 translates into institutional success because returning students generate future cash flow and greater profitability. The educational issue is being able to identify those students who need academic support to succeed. The goal of this study was to determine if the construct of self-efficacy (Bandura 1977, 1986, 1993, 1997) can predict student success and identify “at risk” students at the start of their first term at the College.