Engineering Students' Self-Efficacy, Perceptions, and Performance in a Flipped CS1 Course

2026-05-31

AI Summary

This study investigates how self-efficacy, attitudes toward learning, and perceived programming difficulty influence exam performance among engineering students enrolled in a flipped CS1 course, with particular attention to the psychological and contextual factors affecting non-computer science majors. Drawing on survey and exam data from 602 students, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified three key belief-related factors, and regression analyses examined their associations with academic outcomes. The research provides the first systematic characterization of the belief structure among non-CS engineering students in a CS1 context, revealing that self-efficacy positively predicts exam scores while perceived difficulty negatively predicts them. Notably, significant differences in these psychological beliefs persist across student subgroups despite comparable academic performance, thereby extending theoretical understanding of self-efficacy’s role in computing education.

Abstract

This full research paper investigates how engineering students' course-related beliefs relate to exam performance in a flipped introductory programming course. Understanding factors that influence student learning and performance has long been a focus of computing education research. While prior studies have identified psychological and contextually relevant predictors of success, much of this work has examined students majoring in computer science. Yet introductory programming courses now serve many students from other disciplines, whose beliefs and motivations may differ. To examine these relationships in an engineering-focused CS1 context, we analyze survey and exam data from 602 students. An exploratory factor analysis identified three latent factors: self-efficacy, attitudes toward learning, and perceived programming difficulty. Self-efficacy was positively associated with exam performance, while perceived difficulty was negatively associated. Differences in reported beliefs were also observed across demographic groups, even when performance outcomes were similar. These findings align with and extend prior research, highlighting the role of self-efficacy in achievement and persistence in computing education.

Problem

• self-efficacy
• student beliefs
• CS1
• engineering students
• exam performance

Innovation

• self-efficacy
• flipped classroom
• CS1
• engineering students
• computing education