Abstract
First-generation students in OT have low academic self-regulation, which affects their academic performance. An academic self-regulation program improved academic self-efficacy and academic self-regulation among the participants.
Primary Author and Speaker: Pola Ham
The researcher designed an academic self-regulation program to improve the academic self-efficacy and use of academic self-regulatory strategies among first-generation students in occupational therapy. RQ1: To what extent was there an increase in the use of academic self-regulatory strategies for participants who participated in the program? RQ2: To what extent was there an increase in confidence in using the academic self-regulatory strategies for participants in the program? First-gen students in OT academically perform lower and have lower academic self-regulation than their continuing-generation peers. The study used a convergent parallel mixed methods quasi-experimental design. The participants completed quantitative surveys before and after the program and a qualitative open-ended questionnaire at the end of the program. Purposeful sampling was employed for the study using the criteria being a first-gen student in OT. First-gen students are students whose parents do not hold a degree in higher education. After receiving approval from the university HIRB, an announcement was posted in the public online forum of AOTA inviting participants. Upon completion of the program, the participants reported an increased knowledge and use of academic self-regulatory strategies in their learning and gained more confidence in their use of the strategies. The survey revealed a statistically significant increase in the participants’ scores from pretest to posttest. Learners with a higher level of self-regulation are more likely to do academically well compared to learners with a lower level of self-regulation (Lopez et al., 2023). Effectively being able to self-regulate oneself relies on having a sense of self-efficacy to use the skills (Santos & Alliprandini, 2023). Findings from this study can inform OT programs about the benefits of an academic self-regulation program on the students’ learning, which has implications for their academic performance.
Lopez, M. J., Sanelices, M. V., & Taveras, C. M. (2023). Academic performance and adjustment of first-generation students to higher education: A systematic review. Student Learning, Childhood & Voices, 10, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2209484
Santos, A. G. M., & Alliprandini, P. M. Z. (2023). Effectiveness of a collaborative intervention in self-regulation and self-efficacy of higher education students. International Journal of Instruction, 16(2), 179–194. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2023.16211a