TY - JOUR
T1 - Is Seeing Believing? A Longitudinal Study of Vividness of the Future and Its Effects on Academic Self-Efficacy and Success in College
AU - McMichael, Samantha L.
AU - Bixter, Michael T.
AU - Okun, Morris A.
AU - Bunker, Cameron J.
AU - Graudejus, Oliver
AU - Grimm, Kevin J.
AU - Kwan, Virginia S.Y.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - This research followed students over their first 2 years of college. During this time, many students lose sight of their goals, leading to poor academic performance and leaving STEM and business majors. This research was the first to examine longitudinal changes in future vividness, how those changes impact academic success, and identify sex differences in those relationships. Students who started college with clear pictures of graduation and life after graduation, and those who gained clarity, were more likely to believe in their academic abilities, and, in turn, earn a higher cumulative GPA, and persist in STEM and business. Compared to men, women reported greater initial vividness in both domains. In vividness of graduation, women maintained their advantage with no sex differences in how vividness changed. However, men grew in vividness of life after graduation while women remained stagnant. These findings have implications for interventions to increase academic performance and persistence.
AB - This research followed students over their first 2 years of college. During this time, many students lose sight of their goals, leading to poor academic performance and leaving STEM and business majors. This research was the first to examine longitudinal changes in future vividness, how those changes impact academic success, and identify sex differences in those relationships. Students who started college with clear pictures of graduation and life after graduation, and those who gained clarity, were more likely to believe in their academic abilities, and, in turn, earn a higher cumulative GPA, and persist in STEM and business. Compared to men, women reported greater initial vividness in both domains. In vividness of graduation, women maintained their advantage with no sex differences in how vividness changed. However, men grew in vividness of life after graduation while women remained stagnant. These findings have implications for interventions to increase academic performance and persistence.
KW - STEM & business persistence
KW - academic achievement
KW - academic self-efficacy
KW - sex differences
KW - vividness of the future
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106401092&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/01461672211015888
DO - 10.1177/01461672211015888
M3 - Article
C2 - 34018855
AN - SCOPUS:85106401092
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 48
SP - 478
EP - 492
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 3
ER -