Identification of beliefs related to persistence in first year of college
This research aims at identifying beliefs that influence students’ decisions to persist in their studies. According to the planned behavior theory, behavioral, injunctive, descriptive and control beliefs could play a central role in explaining persistence. 203 first-year college students were questioned on their beliefs. The main results show that the most salient behavioral beliefs are related to the pleasure in persisting, to the utility in persisting and to personal dimensions. Injunctive and descriptive beliefs are mainly related to students’ parents, siblings and friends. Finally, control beliefs are related to the individual, his or her relatives and his or her studies. Many of these beliefs are original. They make it possible to question the literature on the factors explaining the persistence and to consider further interventions.