The Interplay of Academic Mastery, Learning Strategies, and Social Efficacy among Northeastern College Students

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation among the self-efficacy beliefs of Northeastern College students across four areas: academic mastery, learning strategies, social efficacy, and attendance/motivation. A random sample of 244 students was selected from each area of study using stratified sampling, and participants completed a structured Likert-style questionnaire. The study analyzed the relationship between demographics (age, level of education, type of course, number of classes taken per term) and understanding how each of the four self-efficacy domains relates to one another. The findings indicate that Northeastern College students demonstrate a high level of self-efficacy in academic discipline, specifically regarding attendance (M=4.13) and success on traditional assessments (M=3.70). Students also show moderate to high levels of self-efficacy in their use of learning strategies (M=3.84), but lower levels of self-efficacy in the higher-level competency areas of interdisciplinary synthesis and mastery of mathematics. In the area of social efficacy, there was a pattern of conflicting responses: students feel confident interacting with peers but less confident interacting with instructors, and they fear or experience anxiety about assuming any leadership role among peers, which may be attributed to the hierarchical structure of their culture. No statistically significant differences in self-efficacy were found by sex. While students possess a solid academic discipline, additional institutional support may be needed to increase their self-efficacy in quantitative subjects, facilitate communication with faculty, and develop high-stakes social leaders to improve students' overall success.