IMPROVING STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE: USING THE DECISION-MAKING QUESTIONNAIRE TO FOCUS ON RETROSPECTIVE AND PROSPECTIVE COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

摘要

The specific objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between students' perceived self-efficacy, effort, and academic performance. The authors designed a Decision-Making Questionnaire to collect data from students enrolled in introductory accounting classes in a College in the Southeastern Region of United States. The Questionnaire provided an opportunity for students to intentionally and consciously reflect on their past activities that led to their current performance, required them to establish their self-efficacy, and adjust their learning tactics in order to improve their future academic performance. The requirements in the questionnaire are embodied in retrospective cognitive activity, requiring students to reflect on their past performance, and prospective cognitive activity, requiring students to use their knowledge of the past to establish the expected goal they believe they could achieve (self-efficacy), adjust their learning tactics, and commit effort to achieve that goal (i.e., academic grade). The data were collected from 86 participants consisting of 39 students in the experimental group and 47 students in the control group. The results show statistical significance providing support for the propositions that: (1) effort is positively related to self-efficacy, and (2) both effort and self-efficacy are positively related to academic performance. In addition, the students who used the Questionnaire performed better in each of their three exams than those who did not use the Questionnaire. The implications, limitations, and suggestions for additional studies are presented in the paper.