The Effects of Self-Efficacy on ROTC College Student

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to better understand the relationship between various motivational constructs and success among ROTC students at a southeastern public university. The study assessed the ability to predict cadet success using known measures of performance, such as student GPA and Physical Fitness scores, and the motivational constructs of self-efficacy and Achievement Goal Orientation when compared to the ranking done by ROTC detachment leadership. Though motivational theory and constructs are often looked at in educational settings, there is little research into their effect in military training settings and even less when looked at within the context of ROTC detachments on a university campus. Ordinal Linear Regression was used to determine the relative impact any of the independent variables had on final cadet rankings. An in-person survey method was used to gather demographic information and information related to ROTC Self-Efficacy and AGQ-R (Elliot & Murayama, 2008).The eight item ROTC Self-Efficacy scale (RSE) was adapted from the General Self-Efficacy Scale by Chen et al. (2001), and displayed high reliability, α = .831. The sample was drawn from the total cadets of the Air Force ROTC detachment at the university. Of the 129 cadets, 118 cadets responded, and 105 adequately completed their surveys and had all GPA and physical fitness information available for analysis. Overall, GPA and the Performance Approach and Avoidance constructs of Achievement Goal Orientation were shown to predict the final ranking. In addition to the quantitative analysis 6 cadets were interviewed regarding their experiences within ROTC to determine if they felt self-efficacy was important and that theirs had grown since entering the program. The responses of the cadets all indicated that they felt self-efficacy was important and that they had experienced personal growth since entering the program. Additionally, the theme of relationships and its importance to the growth of the cadets in many areas emerged as an important finding from the interviews.