The Relationships Among Academic Attitudes, Psychological Attitudes, and the First-Semester Academic Achievement of First-Year College Students

Amy L. Reynolds, University at Buffalo
Matthew J. Weigand, University at Buffalo

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among academic and psychological attitudes and academic achievement of first-year students. The College Resilience Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale, the College Self-Efficacy Inventory, and the University Environment Scale were administered to 164 first-year undergraduate students enrolled at a large RU/VH university in the northeastern United States. Only two variables, race and resilience, were significantly related to first-semester grade point average; however, findings indicated significant relationships among the core variables in this study, specifically academic motivation, resilience, and self-efficacy. The implications of these results for research and practice are explored.