Examining the Self-Efficacy of Community College STEM Majors: Factors Related to Four-Year Degree Attainment (original) (raw)

2015, Community College Journal of Research and Practice

Despite the awareness of the importance of self-efficacy, this concept has been studied in a limited sense among community college students (Collins & Bissell, 2004), but it has been shown to be significantly related to career decisions among enrollees (Kelly & Hatcher, 2013). The literature does not address what types of experiences can improve or enhance self-efficacy among college students as it relates to research and among community college students specifically. This study addresses the gap in the literature by examining what experiences can improve the self-efficacy of community college students as it relates to research and whether this has an impact on their long-term career plans to pursue a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career. To continue to advance in science and technology and to thrive in a global economy, the United States will have to rely on well-trained scientists and engineers to develop innovative and highvalue-added products and services, as well as to improve productivity through the use of technology-based tools (Babco, Chubin, & May, 2005). This pool of scientists and engineers, with its underrepresentation of women and underrepresented minorities (African Americans, American Indians or Alaskan Natives, and Hispanic Americans), is a critical concern for the U. S. (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, 2008). In 2010, the National Academy of Sciences reported that underrepresented minorities "embody a vastly underused resource and a lost opportunity for meeting our nation's technology needs" (p. 1). In light of tremendous challenges for sustainably generating energy, which is essential to life in modern society, it is even more critical for four-year institutions to reach out to pools of students comprising traditionally underrepresented groups in science and engineering programs. One such pool is community college students pursuing math, chemistry, and physics courses that are transferrable to baccalaureate programs. With more resources being allocated to