Predicting Success in the Introduction to Computers Course: GPA vs. Student's Self-Efficacy Scores

This study examines whether students’ final grades in an introductory college business computing class correlate with their self-reported computer skill levels provided at the beginning of the course. While significant research effort has been devoted to studying the effects of student selfefficacy on course outcomes and studying the moderating effects of various demographic variables (such as age and gender) and experience variables (such as computer access at home), there is a dearth of studies examining a student’s grade-point-average (GPA) as a predictor of final course success in the introductory computing class. For the fundamentals of computer applications course at the medium-size state college, student self-perceptions of their own computer abilities explained very little of the variation in the final course grade outcomes. GPA, however, was a more powerful predictor (adjusted R 2 = 0.365) of the final class grade as well as the students’ grades on individual course modules. Students’ perceptions of their own computer abilities added very little additional predictive value, increasing the full model’s adjusted R 2 only to 0.393. Given the predictive power of GPA relative to course success, discussion is included concerning ways to use this information to offer additional assistance to lower performing students. The study contributes to the existing literature and refutes the value of self-assessment of skills and abilities as a sole predictor of success. Although the literature has suggested non-traditional or adult students may have more difficulty with the computer course, our findings do not support this. Areas for future research are suggested.