Many career and educational plans are made well before high school graduation. School counselors’ efforts to support these plans are limited by the lack of assessments of middle school students’ college-going beliefs. Development of the College-Going Self-Efficacy Scale for middle school students is described in this article. Initial evidence of validity and reliability from three separate studies is reported, and suggestions for using this scale with students are provided.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AliS. R., McWhirterE. H., & ChronisterK. M. (2005). Self-efficacy and vocational outcome expectations for adolescents of low socioeconomic status: A pilot study.Journal of Career Assessment, 13, 40–58.
2.
American School Counselor Association. (2005). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
3.
AtandaR. (1999). Statistics in brief: Do gatekeeper courses expand education options? (NCES Report 1999-303). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
4.
BanduraA. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control.New York: W. H. Freeman & Company.
5.
BetzN. E. (2007). Career self-efficacy: Exemplary recent research and emerging directions.Journal of Career Assessment, 15, 403–422.
6.
BetzN. E., & LuzzoD. (1996). Career assessment and the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale.Journal of Career Assessment, 4, 313–328.
7.
BuiK. V. T. (2002). First-generation college students at a four-year university: Background characteristics, reasons for pursuing higher education, and first-year experiences.College Student Journal, 36, 3–11.
8.
DewitzS. J., & WalshW. B. (2002). Self-efficacy and college student satisfaction.Journal of Career Assessment, 10, 315–326. doi:10.1177/10672702010003003
9.
FouadN. A., & SmithP. L. (1997). Reliability and validity evidence for the Middle School Self-Efficacy Scale.Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 30, 17–31.
10.
GianakosI. (1999). Patterns of career choice and career decision-making self-efficacy.Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54, 244–258. doi:10.1006/jvbe.1998.1668
11.
GibbonsM. M. (2005). College-going beliefs of prospective first-generation college students: Perceived barriers, social supports, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations.Dissertation Abstracts International, 66(08A), 2841.
12.
GibbonsM. M., BordersL. D., WilesM. E., StephanJ., & DavisP. E. (2006). Career and college planning needs of ninth graders–as reported by ninth graders.Professional School Counseling, 10, 168–178.
13.
GloriaA. M., Robinson KurpiusS. E., HamiltonK. D., & WilsonM. S. (1999). African American students’ persistence at a predominantly White university: Influences of social support, university comfort, and self-beliefs.Journal of College Student Development, 40, 257–268.
14.
GushueG. V. (2006). The relationship of ethnic identity, career decision-making self-efficacy, and outcome expectations among Latino/a high school students.Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68, 85–95.
15.
HackettG., BetzN. E., CasasJ. M., & Rocha-SinghI. A. (1992). Gender, ethnicity, and social cognitive factors predicting the academic achievement of students in engineering.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 39, 527–538.
16.
HelmanC., & HarbeckD. (1997). Investigating self-regulated learning among first-generation college students.Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 42, 165–169.
17.
HornL. (2006). Placing college graduation rates in context: How 4-year college graduation rates vary with selectivity and the size of low-income enrollment (NCES Report 2007-161). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
18.
HornL., & NunezA. (2000). Mapping the road to college: First-generation students’ math track, planning strategies, and context of support (NCES Report 2000-153). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
19.
HosslerD., SchmitJ., & VesperN. (1999). Going to college: How social, economic, and educational factors influence the decisions students make.Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
20.
JacksonM. A., & NutiniC. D. (2002). Hidden resources and barriers in career learning assessment with adolescents vulnerable to discrimination.Career Development Quarterly, 51, 56–77.
21.
JohnsonL. S. (2000). The relevance of school to career: A study in student awareness.Journal of Career Development, 26, 263–276.
22.
KellerB. K., & WhistonS. C. (2008). The role of parental influences on young adolescents’ career development.Journal of Career Assessment, 16, 198–217.
23.
KennyM. E., BluesteinD. L., ChavesA., GrossmanJ. M., & GallagherL. A. (2003). The role of perceived barriers and relational support in the educational and vocational lives of urban high school students.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50, 142–155.
24.
KerpelmanJ. L., & MosherL. S. (2004). Rural African American adolescents’ future orientation: The importance of self-efficacy, control and responsibility, and identity development.Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 4, 187–208.
25.
LentR. W., LopezF. G., & BieschkeK. J. (1993). Mathematics self-efficacy: Sources and relations to choice.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 424–430.
26.
LohfinkM.M., & PaulsenM.B. (2005). Comparing the determinants of persistence for first-generation and continuing-generation students.Journal of College Student Development, 46, 409–428.
27.
LuzzoD. A., & HutchesonK. G. (1996). Causal attributions and sex differences associated with perceptions of occupational barriers.Journal of Counseling & Development, 75, 124–130.
28.
National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis. (2002). College-going rates of high school graduates, directly from high school. Retrieved from http://www.higheredinfo.org
29.
NautaM. M., EppersonD. L., & KahnJ. H. (1998). A multiple-groups analysis of predictors of higher level career aspirations among women in mathematics, science, and engineering majors.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 483–496.
30.
NunezA., & Cuccaro-AlaminS. (1998). First-generation students: Undergraduates whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education (NCES Report 1998-082). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
31.
OesterreichH. (2000). Characteristics of effective urban college preparation programs (Report No. EDO-UD-00-8). New York, NY: Institute for Urban and Minority Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED448244)
32.
PajaresF., & MillerM. D. (1995). Mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics performances: The need for specificity of assessment.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42, 190–198.
33.
PascarellaE. T., WolniakG. C., PiersonC. T., & TerenziniP.T. (2003). Experiences and outcomes of first-generation students in community colleges.Journal of College Student Development, 44, 420–429.
34.
ReidM. J., & MooreJ. L.III. (2008). College readiness and academic preparation for postsecondary education: Oral histories of first-generation urban college students.Urban Education, 43, 240–261.
35.
SolbergV. S., O'BrienK., VillarealP., KennelR., & DavisB. (1993). Self-efficacy and Hispanic/Latino college students: Validation of the College Self-Efficacy Instrument.Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 15, 80–95.
36.
TierneyW. G., ColyarJ. E., & CorwinZ. B. (2003). Preparing for college: Building expectations, changing realities.Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California, Rosser School of Education, Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis.
37.
TurnerS. L., StewardJ. C., & LapanR. T. (2004). Family factors associated with sixth-grade adolescents’ math and science career interests.Career Development Quarterly, 53, 41–52.
38.
WahlK. H., & BlackhurstA. (2000). Factors affecting the occupational and educational aspirations of children and adolescents.Professional School Counseling, 3, 367–374.
39.
WarburtonE. C., BugarinR., NunezA., & CarrollC. D. (2001). Bridging the gap: Academic preparation and postsecondary success of first-generation students (NCES Report 2001-153). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
40.
York-AndersonD. C., & BowmanS. L. (1991). Assessing the college knowledge of first-generation and second-generation college students.Journal of College Student Development, 32, 116–122.