The impact of self-efficacy in mathematics on urban high school graduates' math performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study, which used quantitative survey data, was to examine the extent to which the four sources of self-efficacy (i.e., performance experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological and emotional reactions), in the subject of mathematics, correlate with student performance on the mathematics portion of community college placement tests taken by urban high school graduates entering community college. Using SurveyMonkey, a survey was administrated to 191 urban high school graduates taking mathematics placement tests for Massachusetts community colleges. The findings showed that only two of the four sources of self-efficacy, performance experiences and physiological and emotional reactions, were found to be statistically significant factors that influence the performance of recent urban high school graduates on community college mathematics placement tests. The other two sources of self-efficacy, vicarious experiences and verbal persuasion, were found not to be statistically significant factors affecting students' placement test performance. In addition, demographics (gender, ethnicity, and parent's or guardian's level of education) showed mixed findings. Specifically, gender was found to be significantly correlated with students' placement test results, where females were found to be more likely to perform better on placement tests in mathematics than males; however, these findings only occurred after controlling for students' levels of the four sources of self-efficacy. In addition, students' parent's or guardian's level of education was found to be significantly correlated with placement test results; however, this relationship was no longer present after controlling for students' levels of the four sources of self-efficacy. Furthermore, students' ethnicity was found to not be a significant factor in placement test results. Future studies in the area of mathematics test performance should investigate the impact of self-efficacy on other populations, such as a homogeneous group, students in nonurban schools, or students in a private school setting.