The Role of High School Senior Thesis On The Self-Efficacy of High School Graduates
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Abstract
The purpose of this work is to examine the impact and potential future implementation of "Senior Thesis" as a high school graduation requirement, specifically examining whether this experience builds self-efficacy for a diverse range of 12th grade students. Educators seek impactful, culminating, projects that develop knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in higher education and the workforce. Existing peer-reviewed literature on rigorous graduation requirements neglect to examine the potential of this program, which has a purposeful combination of components that may be beneficial and accessible to a wide range of students. I address this issue to better enable policymakers to understand how Senior Thesis develops confidence and self-efficacy, for graduates who go on to a prestigious university, community college, or straight into the workforce. Based on my experience teaching Senior Thesis, I created a survey and collected data from 43 participants who completed this project, then went on to various levels of higher education and employment. Responses to the survey and follow-up questions, show that participants overwhelmingly felt that Senior Thesis benefited their self-efficacy in both academic and professional endeavors. These findings offer educators a broader understanding of senior project options by introducing a focus on Senior Thesis, highlights the benefits of this requirement for diverse learners, and the benefits it may provide high school graduates if implemented in more schools.
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Hawaii Pacific University