Comprehensive College Transition Program Staffs' Impact on Students' Academic Self-Efficacy, Behavioral Change, and Achievement

• In Event: Determinants and Influences of Psychosocial Factors in College Success

Abstract

Evidence on the effectiveness of programmatic interventions targeting first-generation, low-income, and racially minoritized students is usually presented at the program level. This limits our understanding of the impact of program staff practices on student outcomes. This study examines the relationship between comprehensive college transition program (CCTP) staff support and student outcomes including academic self-efficacy, academic behavioral change, and achievement. We surveyed two cohorts of students (N = 1,197) in a CCTP across three campuses of Mid-Western university system. Using structural equation model analyses, our results revealed that staff support had direct and indirect effects on the aforementioned outcomes. We recommend that institutions identify program staff as sources of knowledge and research explore program staff as a source of academic self-efficacy.

Authors

• Gwendelyn Rivera, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Joseph Kitchen, University of Southern California

• Darnell G. Cole, University of Southern California