The Influence of Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs on Educational Aspirations Among Junior High School Students in Ghana

Background: Academic self-efficacy-beliefs about one’s ability to achieve self-valued goals in school is considered fundamental to academic success (Bandura, 1977; Bandura 1986). From a theoretical perspective, academic self-efficacy indirectly affects academic performance by first influencing students’ perseverance and goal pursuits (Muris, 2001). Studies also suggest that academic self-efficacy is linked to students’ goal setting, motivation, effort expenditure, and persistence in the face of difficulty (Chemers, Hu & Garcia, 2001; Multon, Brown & Lent, 1991; Pajares, 1996; Riggio, 2012; Schunk & DiBendetto, 2014). However, little research has examined the nature of academic self-efficacy among youth living in sub-Saharan African countries, and how the perception of self-efficacy is associated with these youths’ educational aspirations. Because culture affects self-efficacy beliefs (Oettingen, 1995), it is not clear whether academic self-efficacy has a more nuanced influence on Ghanaian students’ aspirations, given that Ghana’s cultural context includes an emphasis on the collective rather than the individual. Thus, the present study aims to contribute to a better understanding of how academic self-efficacy is associated with students’ academic aspirations in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country with a focus on collective identity. It is hypothesized that higher levels of academic self-efficacy will be associated with aspirations for more advanced schooling, as previously found in developed countries.

Methods:The current study uses data from a 12-month pilot study testing the impact of scholarship grants and matched savings account on students’ educational outcomes among 135 students randomly selected from  three junior high schools in Ghana’s Yilo Krobo district. Consistent with validated results from prior studies in Ghana, the summation method was used to convert the 6-item academic self-efficacy scale into a self-efficacy latent variable. The two binary outcome variables measured whether students aspire to (a) senior high school, and (b) university-level education. Logistic regression was conducted to explore the extent to which junior high school students’ academic self-efficacy predicts the propensity to aspire to higher education while controlling for performance in core subjects, emotional engagement in school, parental involvement in education, and students’ sociodemographic status.

Results: Findings indicate that academic self-efficacy is a significant predictor of students’ educational aspirations for completing university (Odd Ratio = 1.08) at the .05 significance level, and a marginally significant predictor of aspirations for completing senior high school (Odd Ratio = 1.09) at the .10 significance level. For each unit increase in academic self-efficacy, the chance of aspiring to complete higher education goes up by nearly 10%. While the predictive power of academic self-efficacy appears to be relatively small, it is potentially meaningful given the fact that less than 30% of Ghana’s population 3 years and older have ever acquired secondary or post-secondary school.

Conclusions: Academic self-efficacy is an important predictor of students’ educational aspirations for completing university in Ghana. In order to gain entry, attend and complete university, having a strong belief in oneself appears to be significant. This finding suggests that programs aimed at improving educational attainment at higher educational levels for low-income youth in Ghana should include efforts to enhance students’ self-efficacy.