A study of general self-efficacy: Training, job performance, and attrition of novice Army mechanics in a simulated work environment

Attrition of students and employees is a serious issue for the arenas of academia and industry, as well as the service sector. Management leaders of businesses struggle to maintain a capable and competent employee base that produces quality products and services in order to drive profit. Administrators and faculty of educational institutions work toward equipping students with skills and abilities that will prepare them for today's competitive workforce. Organizations continually search for ways to bolster job performance, maintain qualified employees, and return a profit to stakeholders. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether a relationship exists between general self-efficacy, academic performance, job performance in a simulated work environment, and attrition of novice Army mechanics. Understanding how general self-efficacy affects performance and attrition will provide organizations with the ability to reshape job requirements, hiring and training programs, and job assessment in order to sustain the bottom line profit margin. This study examined 178 novice Army mechanics at Fort Knox, Kentucky, regarding general self-efficacy, academic and job performance, and attrition. Findings indicated general self-efficacy as a predictor of written exam scores while training was found to improve general self-efficacy. Demographics such as parental status, education level, and incentives to join the Army were found to be significant with written exam scores and attrition during Chi-square and Spearman rho analysis.