Increasing Self-Efficacy of First Year Seminar Students: A Case Study

The authors conducted a case study of a first year Communication discipline specific seminar class to determine how the use of a common reader for the course affected students' self-efficacy. Using focus groups and an end of semester storytelling assignment, the authors collected data that revealed three themes: choice for participation, identity struggles, and college expectations. Whether or not the students read the common reader ("Paper Towns" by John Green) and whether or not they took a leadership role in preparing the public research presentation based on the reader, the focus group discussions allowed students to discuss self-identity issues, as well as their own college expectations. Feeling positive about their major, choice to live in the residence halls, friends, and programs of which they are a part helped the participating students feel they had made a competent choice. In assessing the themes that emerged, student self-efficacy was demonstrated in all three areas of self-determination theory: competence, relatedness, and autonomy.