An examination of self-efficacy and sense of belonging on accounting student achievement

Student success is impacted by many factors, both individual and institutional. We examine Tinto's (Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 2017, 19, 254) theoretical model of achievement by surveying students enrolled in an introductory accounting subject (n = 132) at a New Zealand university twice and relating their responses to their levels of achievement in the subject. We find that both self-efficacy beliefs and a sense of belonging to the university are significantly related to academic success. This study builds on the body of work examining non-cognitive factors in accounting education and provides practical implications for accounting educators.