Self-affirmation and success in undergraduate Computer Science

This paper reports on the category of “self-affirmation”, one of the key abstracted categories identified in a qualitative study that sought to examine the factors that influence student perception of success in undergraduate Computer Science. Self-affirmation is the process whereby an individual focuses on important and positive aspects of their life with the aim of affirming their sense of self-worth and value. This positive self-regard makes individuals more accepting of negative feedback. The grounded theory approach employed in this substantive study provides a unique insight into the students' perspective of the key factors that influences their perceived success. Self-affirmation processes emerged as a key element of this theory and merit inclusion in future efforts to support and scaffold freshman learning in computer science.