Friday, 14 January 2005 - 10:00 AM

This presentation is part of: Intervening with At-Risk Adolescents

Effects of an After-School Program on Perceptions of Academic Self-Efficacy and Educational Achievement Among High-Risk Youth

Purpose

Academic self-efficacy, a child or youth’s perceived confidence in her/his ability to succeed in school, is associated with positive academic outcomes in a number of investigations (Bandura, Barbaranelli, & Caprara, 1996; Jinks & Morgan, 1996; Mulhall, Flowers, & Mertens, 2002). Children and youth who have confidence in their ability to perform academic tasks are more likely than other young people to be successful when faced with difficult educational challenges (Hudley, Daoud, Hershberg, Wright-Castro, & Polanco, 2002). Alternatively, children and youth with low academic self-efficacy tend to exert less effort in the classroom and to exhibit lower levels of commitment to school than other youth (Jinks & Morgan, 1999).

Evidence indicates that academic efficacy can be learned (Bandura, 1986; Zimmerman, 1995). Thus efforts toward boosting academic efficacy may be an effective approach to improving school performance for high-risk children and youth. Increasing academic efficacy is particularly important because school failure is a risk factor for problems such as delinquency and drug use during adolescence (Jenson, 2004). In this paper, we present results of a study examining the effects of an after-school program on children and youth’s perceived academic self-efficacy and educational achievement.

Method

The Morgan-Jinks Student Efficacy Scale (MJSES) was administered to 130 youth ages 7-18 (M= 11.3, SD= 2.4) participating in an after-school program in three public housing communities. Participants received tutoring and homework assistance three to four days per week during the academic school year. Subjects were interviewed in September 2003 and again in April 2004. Forty-nine percent (N=64) of youth were Latino/ Hispanic, 19% (N=24) were African American, and 23% (N=30) were Asian/Pacific Islander. Fifty-five percent (N=72) of subjects were female and 45% (N=58) were male.

The MJSES includes a series of questions regarding students’ perceptions of their academic performance, ability to succeed in school assignments, and attitudes toward school (Curtis & Morgan, 1997; Jinks & Morgan, 1996, 1999). To assess educational achievement, self-reported academic grades derived from students’ report cards in four subject areas (math, social studies, science, and reading) were obtained for the 2003-04 academic year. Measures assessing subjects’ level of participation in the program were also obtained. Paired t-tests were used to assess changes in levels of academic self-efficacy between pretest and posttest. Ordinary least squares regression was employed to evaluate the relationship among self-efficacy, gender, age, and self-reports of educational achievement.

Results and Implications for Practice

Subjects demonstrated significant improvements in self-efficacy during the 2003-04 academic year. The MJSES subscale talent was positively associated with academic performance as assessed by students’ self-reported grades in four subject areas. Results suggest that high-risk youth participating in after school programs may benefit from opportunities to increase individual perceived academic self-efficacy and that high levels of efficacy can improve educational achievement. Understanding the role of academic self-efficacy in improving educational outcomes may provide information about important motivating factors in school settings. School social workers and other professionals should consider the enhancement of academic efficacy on individual and group interventions with children and youth.

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