Social alienation, self-efficacy and career goals as related to the academic performance of sophomore college students

The college sophomore has long been characterized as the "middle child" of the college experience. The limited focus by researchers on the college sophomore has become of increasing concern for the academic community given sophomore retention rates which are often not as high as desired. The study examined the degree to which social alienation, self-efficacy and career decision-making confidence are related to the academic performance of college sophomores.;Two hundred and twenty-nine college sophomores from three small, private universities in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States participated in this study. Students completed the instrument through an online survey management system. The survey contained an alienation scale, self-efficacy scale and a career decision-making self-efficacy scale. Student demographic information and academic achievement, as measured by self-reported grade point average, were also obtained.;Findings supported some of the predictions. A student's sense of being connected to the academic community was correlated with their sense of self-efficacy and confidence in their career decision-making ability. Alienation, self-efficacy and career decision-making self-efficacy were not correlated to students' grade point average. Decreasing a student's alienation from the academic community had implications for the student's belief in their ability to influence their future and to make an appropriate career choice. Implications of these findings for both higher education and the social work profession to increase student engagement, self-efficacy and retention are discussed.