“Yes, I Can”: Testing an Intervention to Increase Middle School Students’ College and Career Self-Efficacy

Middle school is the appropriate time for students to begin exploring careers and improving self-efficacy; however, empirically supported career and college readiness interventions for U.S. middle school students are limited. Examining the effect of an intervention that combined a virtual experience and a local college visit on middle school students (99 girls, 74 boys), the authors found that participating students had higher levels of college and career self-efficacy than did nonparticipating students. The study shows that a workshop of the online Florida CHOICES program coupled with a campus visit increased middle school student career and college self-efficacy. Future research should include longitudinal studies and use of diverse populations to improve generalizability of study results