Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Summer 2026
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Mary Radeke
Second Committee Member
Ralf Greenwald
Third Committee Member
Richard Marsicano
Abstract
Issues of declining student retention persist at institutions of higher education and research suggests that institutions can increase retention through interventions aimed at increasing student academic self-efficacy (Bentrim et al., 2022; Mascia et al., 2023). This study examined whether archived Student Evaluation Of Instruction (SEOI) data can be utilized to investigate relationships between perceived instructor support and students’ predicted grades, a theoretical proxy for academic self-efficacy. Archived SEOI data from 15 years of identical Introductory Psychology courses taught by the same instructor were analyzed to examine the roles of instructional support, institutional structures, and challenge-related variables on predicted grades. Results indicate that perceived instructional support was positively associated with predicted grade and emerged as the strongest predictor across analyses. Student enrollment and lecture modality demonstrated modest moderating relationships, while intellectual challenge and work outside of the course mediated the association between instructional support and predicted grade. Together, these findings suggest that students’ perceptions of instructional support, intellectual challenge, and workload for the course are meaningfully related to how they evaluate their predicted grade in the course. Although limited by the use of archived self-reported data and use of predicted grade values as a proxy measure, this exploratory study demonstrates the potential value of repurposing existing SEOI data to assess student experiences in college. The findings provide a foundation for future longitudinal research and support continued exploration of instructional support as a factor associated with students’ self-efficacy beliefs and retention within an institution of higher education.
Recommended Citation
Brookman, Ryan K., "Introductory Classroom Support Impacting Academic Self-Efficacy: Expanding the Applicability of SEOI Assessments" (2026). All Master's Theses. 2368.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/2368
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