High School Achievement, Self-Efficacy, and Locus of Control as Predictors of Freshman Academic Performance

Abstract

78 male and 241 female college students completed self-report measures of social and general self-efficacy and academic locus of control midway through their first term in college. Fall semester credits completed and gradepoint average were criterion measures, while high school performance and personality variables were predictor variables. Although the magnitude of the coefficients was small (<.30), fall GPA was significantly related to high school English average and class rank and to social efficacy. Fall credits completed were significantly related to high school averages in Mathematics and English, class rank, to SAT Mathematics and Verbal scores, and to social efficacy. Regression analysis indicated that none of the high school performance or personality variables were predictors of fall semester achievement. General self-efficacy and locus of control were not significantly related to either academic criterion measure. Implications for interventions with beginning college students are offered.