The Relationship between Academic Performance and Perceived Competence in General Chemistry

Abstract Students’ perceived competence (PC) in a General Chemistry 1 course was explored using the Perceived Competence Scale, a short, well-established instrument grounded in self-determination theory. The PC Scale allows for investigation of whether students perceive that they can achieve their goals in a course, broadly speaking. Students’ PC was explored at the beginning and end of the semester in aggregate and disaggregated by gender, race, and academic performance. Only small statistically significant differences were observed in students’ PC over the course of the semester. Students’ gender was found to have a small effect on PC whereas students’ race did not affect PC. Statistically strong correlations were found between PC and both midterm grades and final course grades measured at both the beginning and end of the semester. These exploratory results signify the importance of students’ PC on academic performance and, conversely, academic performance on PC. Furthermore, the four-question PC instrument can be used as a quick diagnostic tool to assess students’ confidence in a general chemistry course which can alert instructors to the need for interventions to improve students’ learning outcomes.