Family Background,Students’ Academic Self-Efficacy,and Students’ Career and Life Success Expectations

This study examined the relationship of family background on students’ academic self-efficacy and the impact of students’ self-efficacy on their career and life success expectations. The study used the national dataset of the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Based on a path model, results demonstrated that family background predicted academic self-efficacy positively and students’ career and life success expectations negatively. However, with the mediating influence of academic self-efficacy, family background positively influenced students’ career and life success expectations. School counselors should consider interventions to enhance interactions between parents and students and seek to develop positive perceptions about students’ capabilities and futures. In addition, school counselors need to be knowledgeable about curricula, enrichment classes, summer opportunities, various educational options, and students’ academic and career aspirations for providing better guidance.     

Student engagement with feedback and attainment: the role of academic self-efficacy

Abstract

Academic self-efficacy, the belief that one can achieve desired academic goals plays an important role in learning. This study aimed to determine the extent to which academic self-efficacy mediates relationships between students’ perceptions of feedback and their academic attainment. An opportunity sample of 232 students (123 female) in their first year of higher education reported their academic self-efficacy and evaluated their assessment experience, including the perceived quantity and quality of feedback and the extent to which this feedback elicited an active response. Positive associations were observed between academic attainment and students’ confidence that they could achieve their desired grades and adopt appropriate study behaviours. A negative association was identified between attainment and confidence to talk about their studies. Attainment was not related to the perceived quantity or quality of feedback, but did bear a significant association with the reported use to which feedback was put. Positive associations were generally identified between academic self-efficacy and perceptions of feedback. Path models revealed that inter-relationships were best represented by a model wherein academic self-efficacy mediated links between students’ perceptions of feedback and academic attainment. The findings highlight the need to incorporate characteristics of the individual into an understanding of student engagement with feedback.     

Achievement Curves and their Trend through the Year

Abstract

A quasi-experimental design appropriate for use in field settings such as schools, cross-lagged panel correlation analysis, is illustrated. A sample of 51 fourth graders’ perceptions of the quality of their school life, including satisfaction with school, commitment to their classwork, and attitudes toward teachers, was assessed at the beginning and end of the school year, as were beliefs concerning responsibility for successful, unsuccessful, and overall academic achievements. Results of the Fisher combined test of the consistency of the effects of these exploratory analyses provide tentative support for the view that perceptions of these aspects of quality of school life temporally preceded perceptions of academic responsibility. It is suggested that the more favorably these classroom factors are perceived, the more likely students are to accept responsibility for their school successes and failures.     

Predicting Day-to-Day Changes in Students’ School-Related Affect From Daily Academic Experiences and Social Interactions

This study examined the role that everyday academic successes and failures—and the interactions with family members and peers that follow these events—play in predicting day-to-day changes in children's emotional responses to school. Middle school students (N = 101; mean age = 11.62 years) completed daily assessments of their academic experiences, performance disclosures, perceptions of emotional support, and school-related affect. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicated that students’ daily academic experiences and social interactions varied by both sex and interaction partner, and that students’ daily academic experiences and social interactions were predictive of day-to-day changes in both positive and anxious affect. The implications of these findings for students’ interpersonal relationships and school adjustment are discussed.     

African-American women's decisions to become teachers: Sociocultural perspectives

In this study the authors describe sociocultural and school-related factors that influenced African-American women's perceptions of teaching and decisions to teach. Surveys were conducted of the participants' demographic and background characteristics, and life histories were developed that focused on early experiences with the family, in the community, and at school and how these experiences influenced their perceptions of teaching. These data revealed that the mother, women in the community, and female teachers were significant influences on the participants' decisions to teach. Moreover, their experiences and interpretations of these experiences have shaped their images of good teaching as shared, culturally responsive mothering. The participants' life histories further revealed that as their conceptions of good mothering and good teaching crystallized, their reasons for teaching transcended altruism and a love for children, resulting in perspectives on caring, and a sense of responsibility for the school success of all students. The authors suggest that improved understanding about African-American prospective teachers' lived experiences that give rise to their perceptions of and purposes for teaching hold implications for teacher education and African-American teacher recruitment and retention efforts.     

The case for using exemplars to develop academic self-efficacy

Abstract

Academic self-efficacy is critical to academic success. Hence those working in higher education need to make deliberate and substantial attempts to foster academic competence, confidence, persistence and resilience in the students they teach, given they are essential components of academic self-efficacy. Addressing an identified gap in the exemplars literature, this article pays particular attention to how exemplars can be used in an embedded and sustained manner with the intent of fostering and supporting these components. Taking into account the three dimensions of self-efficacy – strength, magnitude and generality – and the various sources of information students draw upon to make judgements about their capabilities, four inter-dependent and inter-related practices and associated experiences are identified. We argue that collectively these practices and experiences can accentuate the positive effects and ameliorate the potential negative effects of exemplar use on student academic self-efficacy.     

INFLUENCE OF PEER SOCIAL EXPERIENCES ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE INDICATORS OF MENTAL HEALTH AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Modern definitions of complete mental health include both positive and negative indicators of psychological functioning. We examined the associations between peer relationships (victimization and receipt of prosocial acts) and multiple indicators of mental health that represent subjective well‐being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive and negative affect) and psychopathology (general internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems—aggressive behavior) among 500 high school students in Grades 9 to 11. Peer experiences explained the most variance in positive affect (R² = 18%) and internalizing psychopathology (R² = 19%). Different types of peer experiences drove these effects, with relational victimization particularly salient to internalizing psychopathology and prosocial acts by peers most predictive of positive affect. Moderation analyses indicated that peers’ prosocial acts did not serve a protective role in the associations between victimization and mental health. Instead, the presence of overt victimization negated the positive associations between prosocial acts and good mental health (high life satisfaction, low internalizing psychopathology). Understanding these associations illuminates the range of student outcomes possibly impacted by victimization and suggests that both limiting peer victimization and facilitating positive peer experiences may be necessary to facilitate complete mental health among high school students.     

School fieldtrip to engineering workshop: pre-, post-, and delayed-post effects on student perceptions by age,gender, and ethnicity

ABSTRACT

This article presents a large-scale evaluation study of over 3000 9–14-year-old students who participated in an engineering workshop during their school fieldtrips. Student perceptions right before and after, as well as two weeks after the workshop were captured and examined. Before the workshop, younger students and boys, generally exhibited higher interest, higher self-efficacy, and less negative stereotypes for engineering than their counterparts. Also, Caucasian students had higher self-efficacy and lower negative stereotypes than Hispanic students. Students’ interest, self-efficacy, negative stereotype, and utility perceptions of engineering were significantly improved right after the workshop, and improved perceptions were maintained at the delayed-post (follow-up) survey. The results indicate that fieldtrips can significantly improve students’ perceptions towards engineering and improved perceptions are not limited to the workshop day, but persist afterwards. The gender and ethnic differences in engineering perceptions in the youngest age group indicate that outreach interventions should begin in elementary school.     

Factors Influencing Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Addressing Cultural and Linguistic Needs of Diverse Learners

Abstract

How preservice teachers perceive their readiness to work with diverse learners can indicate their future success in the classroom. Using self-efficacy theory as a conceptual base, this study examined what factors contribute to preservice teachers’ self-efficacy level in addressing English Learners’ (ELs) cultural and linguistic needs, while adopting a multi-method design. Data sources included a self-efficacy survey of a group of preservice teachers, written rationales for their self-efficacy ratings, and suggestions for improving their self-efficacy. Data analyses revealed that the preservice teachers lacked self-efficacy in communicating with ELs while showing high self-efficacy in employing different learning modalities. In addition, direct exposure through field and/or life experiences and curriculum emphasis were identified as key factors. Findings further illuminate the preservice teachers’ incongruent understandings of mainstream school culture versus ELs’ cultures, the role of culture in academic versus social and emotional domains, and lack of interconnectedness between academic excellence and cultural competency.     

The influence of self-efficacy beliefs for student parents attending university

Student parents (i.e. students who have their own dependent children) are a specific subpopulation of adult learners. This study investigated the impact of self-efficacy beliefs on student parents’ perceived capacity to manage multiple roles and their satisfaction with family, school and life. Survey data collected from 398 student parents enroled at four Canadian universities were analysed. Latent variable analysis was conducted using maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors using Mplus. Self-efficacy beliefs were found to influence student parents’ perceptions of satisfaction at school, in the family and with life in general. Perceptions of one’s capacity to manage multiple roles (i.e. school–family balance) were found to mediate the relationship between academic self-efficacy and school satisfaction as well as parental self-efficacy and family satisfaction. Furthermore, preliminary evidence is provided of unique subgroups within the student parent population based on children’s ages, partner status and enrolment status (i.e. full/part-time studies).     

Succeeding at junior high school: Students’ reasons,their reach,and the teaching that h(inders)elps their grasp

How do we support students through their difficult transition to secondary school? Perceived value for and perceived ability to be successful during secondary school are a crucial part of any answer to this question. These perceptions and their interaction with classroom instruction are at the heart of many issues students face in this challenging new learning environment. Seeking to address these issues head-on, the current study modelled the shared role of motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic) and self-efficacy beliefs within mathematics, native and foreign language achievement across first-year secondary school studies at six schools in Japan. Modelling included pre-post subject achievement and students' instructional experiences. Longitudinal latent structural equation modelling was undertaken for each of the subjects to examine the interplay between students' motivational and instructional experiences across one academic year. Findings support the shared role of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy within achievement (βs = 0.1–0.24), and reciprocal relationships between perceptions of instruction and students’ motivations/beliefs (βs = 0.15–0.21). Results also suggest different patterns of motivation-belief and motivation/belief-instruction interconnections across the three subjects of study researched. The pervasive role of instructional experiences for students' motivation-beliefs (from teaching to self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation, βs = 0.14–0.21) highlight the powerful role of teachers in these critical environments. Implications for theory and practice arising from the results and the integrative model utilised are discussed.     

Cognitive and Motivational Effects of Seeking Academic Assistance

Abstract

The instructional needs of a student who sought assistance for his continuing academic difficulties within his high school setting were examined. The authors evaluated how his perception of his academic and motivational performances compared with the perceptions of his parents, school officials, and those professionals who conducted 3 psy-choeducational evaluations for a learning disability during his middle and high school years. None of the 3 evaluations considered the quality of the student's classroom instruction, school grading practices, or study strategies, all of which increased his vulnerability to risk. Discussion focuses on the question of whether the student's negative learning and motivational profiles might have improved if his school's attempts to provide academic assistance had adopted a broader and more comprehensive focus.     

Self-concept,school self-image,satisfaction, and involvement in an alternative high school

Alternative education emphasizes students' psychological development and academic achievement. The present paper reports a case study of the psychological correlates of students' adjustment to a small urban free school. It was expected that: (a) students would have high general self-concept, school selfimage, satisfaction, and involvement; (b) self-concept would discriminate between those high and low in school adjustment: and (c) there would be a positive relationship between school self-image, satisfaction, and involvement. Forty male and thirty female students voluntarily answered the New Morning Student Questionnaire (1972) and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (Fitts, 1965). Results showed that students were psychologically well adjusted; they had a somewhat higher self-concept than the norm for high school students; self-concept was a good predictor of school self-image and satisfaction; and there was a positive relationship between school self-image, satisfaction, and involvement.     

Supplementing the ‘College Experience’ with Program-Based Learning Communities

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to examine the benefits of a learning community created for first-year students enrolled in a criminal justice degree program at an urban community college in the Northeast. Quantitative and qualitative survey data were collected from three cohorts of students in the program-based learning community. Survey questions examined students’ satisfaction with the learning community structure and their perceptions of social networking and academic skills gained from participation in the learning community. Quantitative data from the college’s records were used to compare the academic progress and retention of criminal justice students in the program-based learning to other first-year criminal justice students. Our findings indicate that participants had positive experiences in the learning community reporting satisfaction with the learning community structure and significant social networking and academic benefits from their participation in the learning community. Findings also indicated that program-based learning community students exhibited greater academic progress and were retained at higher rates than other first-year criminal justice students. This study substantiates the positive impact of program-based learning communities on students’ satisfaction, their academic success toward degree completion, and retention.     

An Exploratory Study of Minority Students’ Technology Usage and Perceptions of Technology: Nontraditional Adult Students in Technology-Based Environments

Abstract

The study examines nontraditional, African-American adult students’ use of technologies and their perceptions toward this in technology-based environments. Technology perceptions included computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, user attitude, and computer anxiety. The effects of student characteristics on these factors and the relationships between these factors were examined throughout this study. Participants included minority students who participated in face-to-face or online undergraduate courses offered in continuing education. A quantitative approach was undertaken to analyze the collected data. Results indicated that nontraditional minority students utilized basic software tools more frequently than the advanced ones, suggesting that many of them may lack the knowledge or skills for advanced technologies. Age, hours spent online, and previous online course experiences influenced students’ technology perceptions. Gender did not have an impact on technology perceptions. Internet self-efficacy was affected by most of the student characteristics variables. Computer self-efficacy was found to be a good predictor for both user attitude and computer anxiety. (Keywords: technology usage, technology perceptions, student characteristics, computer and Internet self-efficacy, minority students)     

Reflections of Academic Experiences From Formerly Incarcerated African American Males

This research examines academic experiences of African American males (ages 18–25) who attended urban schools in southern California. The participants were incarcerated for at least one year prior to being housed in a pre-release program where they reflected on their academic experiences and perceptions of the school environment. The participants' academic experiences reflect many of the stories of young African American males in public schools. Data were collected from individual and group interviews, questionnaires, observations, and short writing responses providing a unique perspective within a critical race theory framework. Participants' early academic experiences were most positive during kindergarten and declined as they grew older. The academic experiences of these young men seemed to profoundly impact their social, cultural, and psychological development as well as their life choices, which may have led to incarceration.     

Academic Self-Concept and Academic Self-Efficacy: Self-Beliefs Enable Academic Achievement of Twice-Exceptional Students

Many studies have reported that twice-exceptional (2e) students were vulnerable in psychological traits and exhibited low-academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy. Such vulnerability may cause their academic failures. This study applied interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a qualitative approach to investigate the perceptions of academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy in six 2e students from a Singapore secondary school. Results demonstrate that 2e students could possess high-academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy that empower their academic success. This study suggests strategies such as focusing on the 2e students’ strength areas and developing their interests in particular academic domains to enable their development of high-academic self-concept. We also recommend practices such as creating the experiences of success, practicing effective parental and teacher support, and providing positive peer influence to foster 2e students’ high-academic self-efficacy.     

Learning outdoors or with a computer: the contribution of the learning setting to learning and to environmental perceptions

ABSTRACT

Background: Outdoor learning and computer-based learning are two different alternatives to in-class conventional teacher-centered learning.

Purpose: This study compares the outdoor learning setting with computer-based learning in class. It examines the influence of the two different learning settings on academic achievements, the learning experience, and pro-environmental perceptions.

Sample: A total of 90 elementary school students (third and fourth-grade classes) participated in the study.

Design and methods: The academic knowledge of the study participants was tested through identical exams for both learning settings. In addition, in each group the students’ perceptions were examined by means of a questionnaire about environmental values and the learning experience.

Results: The study demonstrates that academic achievements in the two settings were similar, but the students expressed more enthusiasm about the outdoor learning experience than about in-class learning. In addition, the outdoor learning setting contributed more to promoting positive environmental perceptions even though students did not learn directly about environmental issues and sustainability.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that learning in the natural environment is valuable: Alongside the fostering of computerized learning, it is also important to promoteoutdoor learning settings and integrate both settings by implementing mobile technologies in the outdoor teaching.     

The association of school environment to student teachers' satisfaction and teaching commitment

A supportive school environment is crucial to the enhancement of student teaching experiences. This study assesses student teachers' perceptions of secondary school environments, and then relates the perceptions to their satisfaction with school experiences and teaching commitment. The results show that considerable disparities between student teachers' perceptions of actual and preferred school environments and suggest certain directions for improvement. Student teachers' perceptions about their school environments, especially in the areas of professional interest and staff freedom, were positively associated with their satisfaction. Several school environmental aspects influenced the total years they planned to teach and their intention to teach at the placement schools.     

A path analysis of basic need support,self-efficacy,achievement goals,life satisfaction and academic achievement level among secondary school students

Teachers’ support of basic psychological needs, self-efficacy, achievement goals, life satisfaction and academic achievement level was measured in a sample of 240 secondary school students (8th and 10th grades). Correlation analysis showed significant positive relations between all of the variables, except for the relation between need support of competence and performance goals. A subsequent path analysis showed that these variables could be accounted for by a structural model that described basic need support as predictors of self-efficacy and achievement goals, which in turn predicted academic achievement level and perceived life satisfaction. Analysis of intra-class correlation and design effect showed that need support of relatedness also was accounted for by class level responses. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed in terms of the importance of basic need support as a predictor of personal motives in educational settings as well as the students adjustment to school and life.