The sophomore slope: understanding the impact of the pre-college institute on academic self-efficacy in sophomore students

The purpose of this study was to understand what impact the six-week summer Pre-College Institute (PCI) had on the development of academic self-efficacy in the lives of sophomore students enrolled at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ during the 2013-2014 academic year who had participated in the PCI summer program prior to beginning their freshman year. This research asked students questions regarding their personal and academic growth, challenges, and successes. They were also asked to consider to what extent their participation in the summer PCI program impacted them as college students. In order to understand the qualitative data, results from the content analysis of these interviews were compared to skills found in the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES) created by Owen and Froman (1988); his tool assisted in understanding increases in academic self-efficacy based on development in academic skills. This study revealed that the PCI summer program is structured in such a way that positive change became inevitable. While these students completed high school with varying levels of academic competence, their participation helped to mold them into a uniform example of academic strength.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. Higher Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Services, Administration, and Higher Education

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Zio, Patricia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Sisco, Burton

• College preparation programs--New Jersey
• Higher Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/320

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1319