Title

An Investigation of Transition Programs Relations Between Self-Efficacy & Sense of Belonging at a Southwestern Regional University

Author

Marcia Louis

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

Department

Psychology and Special Education

Date of Award

Summer 2023

Abstract

The current study is among undergraduate students at a mid-sized regional doctoral-granting four-year public university in the Southwestern United States. The purpose of the study was to compare the self-efficacy and sense of belonging of students who experienced a transition program before beginning their college careers to those who did not. Utilizing an ex post facto design to investigate the relations, quantitative data was gathered using the College Self-Efficacy Inventory (Solberg et al., 1993) and Psychological Sense of School Membership scale (Goodenow, 1993). Using the independent samples t-test to compare the self-efficacy and the Mann Whitney U test sense of belonging of participants in the transition program experience versus non-experience groups. The results indicated no statistically significant difference in self-efficacy or sense of belonging between the experience and non-experience groups. A two-way ANOVA was used to examine the main effects and interactions of the dependent variables (college self-efficacy and sense of belonging) and the independent variables (race/ethnicity and experience group versus non-experience group). The experience groups consisted of three transition programs (Program S, Program B, and Program R) offered at the research site. The results indicated a statistically significant interaction in self-efficacy, but no statistically significant interaction in sense of belonging between programs when comparing race/ethnicity and program participation.

Advisor

DeMarquis Hayes

Subject Categories

Education | Higher Education

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