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Abstract
Guided by Bean and Eaton's (2011) psychological model of college student retention, this study sought to determine whether math and English self-efficacy had an effect on several integration measures for Black male students in the community college. Specifically, this study focused on the integration experiences of these men during their first-year of college. Data employed in this study were derived from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2006/2012 and analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Results indicated that math self-efficacy was significantly predictive of several academic integration measures, including talking with faculty about academic matters, meeting with advisors, and using the internet to access library resources. Interestingly, English efficacy had little to no effect on academic integration in most of the models.
Extensive research has shown an integral relationship between self-efficacy and student success in college (Aguayo, Herman, Ojeda & Flores, 2011; Bong, 2001 ; Choi, 2005; Gore, 2006; Majer, 2009; Pajares & Schunk, 2001; Vuong, Brown-Welty, & Tracz, 2010; Zimmerman, 2000). Self-efficacy refers to one's confidence in their ability to control their emotions, behaviors, and actions in order to actualize desired objectives (Bandura, 1977, 1986). This concept is derived from Albert Bandura's social cognitive-learning theory, which focuses on the effect of an individual's cognitive processes, as influenced by social phenomena, on their actions and development (Grusec, 1992). In an academic context, self-efficacy is often used to indicate students' confidence in their academic abilities as it relates to meeting desired academic outcomes (Torres & Solberg, 2001). More specifically, this concept reflects students' belief in their competence and academic aptitude to learn and apply information on tests, papers, and during classroom discourse (Solberg, O'Brien, Villarreal, Kennel & Davis, 1993). Generally, scholars have theorized that greater levels of self-efficacy lead to enhanced academic outcomes (e.g., academic integration, achievement, engagement, and persistence) (Jerusalem & Schwarzer, 1992). Bearing this in mind, the intent of this research was to examine the effect of academic self-efficacy on academic integration in the community college among first-year Black male students.
Research has illustrated the utility of self-efficacy in predicting college student success. As such, studies have shown that self-efficacy is a positive determinant of desired academic outcomes (Aguayo et al., 2011; Bong, 2011; Gore, 2006; Majer, 2009; Vuong et al., 2010; Zimmerman,...