The role of academic self-concept in the relationship between grade 12 performance and academic perfomance in first-year psychology students

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Date
2018-02
Authors
Groenewald, Lene
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University of the Free State
Abstract
English: The first year of university is an important transitional and developmental period. Students enter university with diverse pre-university experiences, which could affect how successfully they change over to the new university environment. In this study, the relationship between Grade 12 academic performance and first-year academic performance in psychology students at the University of the Free State (UFS) was investigated. Furthermore, the potential mediating and/or moderating roles of students’ generational status and academic self-concept (ASC) in this relationship were examined. A non-experimental type, quantitative research approach with a correlational design was adopted. A sample of 203 first-year psychology students was recruited by using non-probability, convenience- sampling methods. Participants completed an online self-report survey consisting of questions on their demographic information and ASC. The moderating role of generational status was measured before conducting further statistical analyses. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship between Grade 12 academic performance and psychology marks of the first year. A moderated hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine the moderating and/or mediating role of ASC in this relationship. In this study, generational status was not a moderator in the aforementioned relationship. Grade 12 academic performance explained a significant amount of variance in first-year psychology marks. ASC had a main effect on participants’ psychology module marks, but was neither a mediator nor a moderator in the relationship between Grade 12 academic performance and first-year psychology marks. It can be concluded that academic performance at university is dependent on students’ prior academic performance and their ASC
Afrikaans: Die eerste jaar by ʼn universiteit is 'n belangrike oorgang- en ontwikkelingsperiode. Studente betree universiteit met verskillende pre-universiteit- ervarings wat beïnvloed hoe suksesvol hulle oorskakeling na die nuwe universiteitsomgewing is. In hierdie studie is die verband tussen die Graad 12 akademiese prestasie en akademiese prestasie in die eerste jaar onder eerstejaar-sielkunde studente aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV) ondersoek. Die potensiële modererende- en / of mediërende effekte van studente se generasie status en akademiese selfkonsep (ASC) in hierdie verhouding is ook ondersoek. 'n Nie-eksperimentele, kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering met 'n korrelasionele ontwerp is gebruik. 'n Steekproef van 203 eerstejaar-sielkunde studente is verkry deur middel van nie-waarskynlikheid, gerieflikheidsteekproefneming. Deelnemers het aanlyn 'n selfevalueringsvraelys voltooi wat vrae oor hul demografiese inligting en ASC ingesluit het. Die modererende rol van generasie status is gemeet voordat verdere statistiese analises voltooi is. ʼn Pearson-korrelasie koëffisiënt (r) is gebruik om die verhouding tussen Graad 12-akademiese prestasie en eerstejaar-sielkunde modulepunte te meet. 'n Gemodereerde hiërargiese regressie-analise is uitgevoer om die modererende en / of mediërende rol van ASC in hierdie verhouding te bepaal. In hierdie studie was generasie status nie 'n moderator in die voorheen genoemde verhouding nie. Graad 12- akademiese prestasie het ʼn betekenisvolle hoeveelheid variansie in punte van eerstejaar-sielkundestudente verklaar. ASC het 'n hoofuitwerking op die deelnemers se sielkunde- modulepunte gehad, maar was nie 'n mediator of moderator in die verhouding tussen Graad 12- akademiese prestasie en eerstejaar- sielkunde punte nie. Dit kan afgelei word dat akademiese prestasie op universiteit afhanklik is van studente se vorige akademiese prestasie en hul ASC.
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Keywords
Academic performance, Academic self-concept, Generational status, Students, University, Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc. (Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2018
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