Assessing School-Related Anxiety Levels and Self-Efficacy Among First-Generation College Students

Current research on student success suggests that first-generation college students (FGCS) experience worse academic outcomes, and greater barriers to success compared to their continuing-education peers (Dennis et al., 2005; Koh et al., 2022). There is also a body of literature on how various student factors, such as anxiety and self-efficacy, drive student success (Barrows et al., 2013; Kumari & Jain, 2014). When a student specifically experiences school-related anxiety and does not believe in their ability to perform well in the classroom, this could impact their academic outcomes. The present study aims to examine the extent to which FGCS struggle with school-related anxiety and self-efficacy versus their continuing-education peers. The present study assessed anxiety and self-efficacy in 170 undergraduate first-year students, 38% of whom were FGCS, using the anxiety subscale of the Learning and Study Skills Inventory (LASSI), the Revised Test Anxiety Scale, and an Academic Self-Efficacy Scale. FGCS students reported significantly higher anxiety levels based on their LASSI scores. However, FGCS were not significantly different than their non-FCGS peers in their test anxiety or self-efficacy, as revealed by independent samples t-tests. Additionally, there were significant negative correlations between self-efficacy and test anxiety as well as between self-efficacy and LASSI anxiety across all students. Implications for FGCS, school-related anxiety, and self-efficacy are discussed.