Author: Tesia T. MarshikPublisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
ABSTRACT: Self-control predicts many important developmental outcomes including achievement, emotional stability, and successful social relationships. The potential for self-control to predict academic achievement in college students is particularly important because few good predictors of academic achievement in college students exist and college retention and graduation rates are decreasing. The purpose of the present study was to identify factors that predict self-control and GPA in college students. Participants included 163 undergraduate students at the University of Florida who completed take-home self-report questionnaires. A recursive path analysis was used to test a model relating students' role models, possible selves, perceived self-efficacy, perceived self-control skills, and GPA. Partial support for the model was found, as total role models predicted the number of balanced possible selves; the number of balanced possible selves predicted Delay of Gratification; perceived self-efficacy predicted perceived self-control; and Planful Thinking predicted GPA. These results are consistent with social cognitive theory, as role models influenced students' possible selves, which in turn influenced students' self-control skills and academic achievement. However, the lack of relationships among some of the variables indicates that more research is needed to examine the relationships among role models, possible selves, and self-control. In particular, researchers should use domain-specific measures of academic possible selves and academic self-control to predict students' academic achievement.
