Motivation: Prior research in CS1 courses has demonstrated that self-efficacy is the strongest predictor of achievement among self-regulated learning (SRL) constructs, and some studies suggest that gender moderates the relationship between self-efficacy and achievement. However, recent work in computing education points to prior experience (PE) as a more influential factor in shaping self-efficacy.

Goals: We aimed to replicate Lishinski et al.’s (2016) study on the relationship between self-efficacy and achievement in a contemporary CS1 course. Additionally, we extended their work by investigating how both PE and gender affect self-efficacy.

Method: We gathered data regarding demographics (gender and PE), SRL constructs (computing self-efficacy, student metacognition, intrinsic goal orientation, and extrinsic goal orientation), and grades from students throughout a CS1 course. To replicate Lishinski et al.’s analysis, we conducted path analyses and correlation tests. We then introduced PE as an additional factor and conducted the same analyses to assess how PE alters the observed relationships. We used partial correlations to further explore the interactions between gender, PE, and self-efficacy.

Results: Our findings largely replicate Lishinski et al.’s results on SRL and achievement. However, when considering the influence of gender and PE on self-efficacy, we found PE to be the dominant factor, whereas gender had a negligible effect.

Impact: This study highlights the critical role of PE in shaping self-efficacy and suggests that future studies in computing education should prioritize PE over gender. Our findings also underscore the importance of supporting students with limited computing experience as they enter higher education.