The Impact Of Academic Self-Efficacy And Socio-Demographic Factors On Academic Achievement Of First-Generation Community College Students

Despite a growing body of research on the differences between first-generation and non-first-generation college students, little is known about the relative effect and the impact of academic self-efficacy and socio-demographic factors on academic achievement of first-generation students attending community colleges. Much of the available literature on first-generation students, defined as neither of the student's parents had college experience, focuses on four-year colleges and universities, and therefore cannot be generalized to smaller, two-year colleges. In fact, first-generation college students accepted at four-year colleges and universities probably resemble traditional students in the sense that the students participated in a rigorous high school curriculum, had high grade point averages (GPA) and admission test scores, enrolled immediately after high school, attended full-time, and lived on-campus.