Abstract:
First-generation students enroll in college expecting to be the first in their families to obtain a bachelor's degree, yet historically; the number of these students who graduate with four-year degrees is much lower than their non first-generation peers (Nunez & Cuccara-Alamin; Choy, 2001; Glenn, 2008). Limited research exists on the psychological/motivational factors on this sub-population of students (McGregor, Mayleben, Buzzanga, Davis, & Becker, 1991; Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak & Terenzini, 2004). This quantitative study researched fear of failure, procrastination, and self-efficacy of first and non first-generation students to determine if there were differences between the two groups. Gender, ethnicity and income level of students were included in the study to determine what, if any role these variables had on the levels of fear of failure, procrastination and self-efficacy of students. Lastly, fear of failure, procrastination, self-efficacy, gender, generational status, ethnicity, and income were entered into a multiple regression analysis to determine what factors, if any, impacted a student's college success as measured by academic GPA. The study found no significant differences on fear of failure, procrastination and self-efficacy between first and non first-generation students, except on one sub-scale of fear of failure in which first-generation freshmen students were more fearful of having an unknown future than their peers. However, fear of failure appears to be prevalent in various degrees among all the college students in this study. Gender differences for fear of failure, procrastination and self-efficacy were significant. The study found that females have significantly more fear of failure than males, males procrastinate at significantly higher levels than do females, and females have more academic self-efficacy than do males. A multiple regression analysis indicated that gender, iii procrastination, self-efficacy, and ethnicity are predictive of academic success. Females and Caucasian students received higher first-semester GPA's than did males and minority students. Procrastination is negatively associated with GPA, and self-efficacy is positively associated with GPA.
