Description
With the passing of the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, California community colleges are hoping to improve access and success in our institutions by providing effective matriculation services including, assessment and placement. The purpose of this inferential quantitative study was to determine whether there is a relationship between college assessment test scores, students' academic selfefficacy scores, and academic achievement in first-term community college freshman at Southern California Community College (SCCC). This study utilized a sample of 96 first-term freshmen at SCCC and conducted multiple regression analyses to determine the predictive relationships between assessment, achievement, and self-efficacy variables. Results indicated self-efficacy scores accounted for 12.2% of the total 21.8% of variance in GPA and 9.8% of the total 17.3% variance in unit completion rate. Test-taking efficacy accounted for the most unique variance in semester GPA, math course grade, English course grade, and unit completion rate. Students with higher confidence in their test-taking skills, also have higher GPAs, better course grades, and complete a higher percentage of their units. Math assessment score was also a significant predictor of semester GPA and math course grade, accounting for over 30% of the variance in math grade. Additionally, math assessment score was a significant predictor of test-taking efficacy, indicating that the assessment process may be influencing self-efficacy. The researcher encourages the use of self-efficacy measures in assessment and placement practices and recommends further exploration into the influence assessment and placement may have on student's self-efficacy and subsequent motivation and performance in coursework.
