College and Academic Self-Efficacy as Antecedents for High School Dual-Credit Enrollment

Do high school students who are predisposed to enroll in dual-credit courses already possess high levels of motivation or college and academic self-efficacy? Students in this study reported being academically motivated, but they did not report high levels of confidence in their ability to perform certain college-associated tasks. Of 52 items pertaining to self-efficacy, students expressed even a modest level of confidence in just one area: the ability to research and write a good term paper. Other results indicated that high grades correlated only minimally to students' overall levels of self-efficacy. College and academic self-efficacy did not appear to be precursors for dual-credit enrollment decisions, implying that the dual-credit programs themselves may play a role in increasing self-efficacy and helping high school students transition successfully to college.