Running Head: EXPECTATION AND PERFORMACE
The Relationship between Expectations and Academic Performance
Chris Nelson
University of Florida
Abstract
Research indicates that self-efficacy (or one’s perceived competence on challenging tasks) serves as a predictor of future achievement. The following two studies investigate self-efficacy as a predictor and causal agent of later academic performance. The first study examined the relationship between measures of students' self-efficacy and GPA and found that the two variables are positively related. In the second study I manipulated students' expectations about their performance on an upcoming analytical task and made them feel either accountable or unaccountable for their score. The results indicate that students expecting success score higher than students expecting failure only when they are held accountable. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.
The Relationship between Expectations and Academic Performance
Introduction
The construct of self-efficacy and how it relates to one’s ultimate success in goal oriented tasks (especially in the academic domain) receives much attention from researchers. Self-efficacy is commonly defined as an individual's perception of how capable or competent they are in succeeding on difficult tasks and meeting the expectations they have of themselves. People with high self-efficacy tend to set more challenging goals for themselves and are highly motivated to achieve these goals, even when they face great adversity. Although this relates to other well defined constructs like self-esteem and locus of control, self-efficacy is unique in that it is based on one’s expectations about the extent to which they will be successful (Luszczynska, Gutiérrez-Doña, & Schwarzer, 2005).
While in most instances self-efficacy is thought of as domain or task specific, there also exists a concept of general (or global) self-efficacy, which refers to one’s...