Abstract Summary/Description
This study investigates the role of perceived effort cost—the energy and effort required for academic tasks—in predicting GPA and academic self-efficacy among students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Understanding effort cost is critical as it represents a potential barrier to academic success, particularly for diverse student populations in rigorous STEM disciplines. This is additionally important in the context of an MSI, as it contains students who may be first-generation college students and facing differing levels of financial adversity. Using a longitudinal design, effort cost was measured at the beginning of one semester, and outcomes (GPA and self-efficacy) were assessed in the following semester. Participants (n=266) were recruited from two public MSIs (59% freshmen, 41% sophomores; Mage = 21 years), with 44.7% receiving the Pell Grant. Results from linear regressions indicate that effort cost negatively predicts both GPA (b = -.10, p < .05) and academic self-efficacy (b = -.16, p < .01). These findings highlight the challenges associated with high perceived effort cost and its impact on student's academic outcomes. They underscore the importance of addressing students' perceptions of effort cost through targeted interventions and institutional support aimed at fostering academic persistence and success. Future research should explore strategies to mitigate effort cost, particularly in underrepresented populations that may already grapple with existing levels of adversity and external stressors.
