The Relationship between Participation in a First-Year Seminar and Student Self-Efficacy

The transition to college can be challenging for first-year students, impacting their academic performance and overall well-being. One strategy employed to ease the college transition is the first-year seminar, designed to introduce students to academic expectations, build social connections, develop self-management skills, and support students' academic success. This dissertation investigates the relationship between participating in a first-year seminar and student self-efficacy. Drawing from Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, college impact models, and extant literature, the study hypothesizes that a first-year seminar will positively influence student academic and social self-efficacy through several mechanisms. Using data collected from a sample of first-year college students enrolled full-time in a specific first-year seminar at a medium-size public institution, the study uses multiple regression to examine the relationship between first-year seminar participation and academic and social self-efficacy while controlling for relevant factors. Specifically, regression analysis will investigate whether the relationship between first-year seminar participation and academic and social self-efficacy varies by engagement with specific first-year seminar components known in the literature to improve academic success and self-efficacy. The influence of extracurricular activities is also examined. The conclusions from paired sample t-tests revealed that students experienced significant gains in academic and social self-efficacy following their enrollment in an institution's First Year Experience course. Multiple regression indicated mixed findings, with some regression models showing significant relationships between variables and students' change in academic and social self-efficacy, while others demonstrated non-significant results. In light of these findings, implications include tailoring first-year seminars to better meet student needs and broader assessment strategies beyond assessing student learning outcomes for individual courses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]