Relations of African American Middle School Students’ Reading Self-Efficacy and Reading Achievement Over Time

• In Event: Self-Efficacy, Self-Concept, and Their Relations to Academic Achievement in Minority and Migrant Groups: An International Perspective

Abstract

Objectives
The purpose of this study is to examine change in African American middle school students’ reading self-efficacy and how change in self-efficacy relates to change in reading performance. It fills an important gap in the literature concerning knowledge about change in African American middle school students’ self-efficacy.
Theoretical Framework
Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory posits that self-efficacy is a powerful predictor of individuals’ performance and many studies have supported this prediction (Schunk & Pajares, 2009). However, studies have included African American children or focused exclusively on them. We therefore know little about how their self-efficacy develops, and how it relates to their performance over time. It is important to research whether major theoretical constructs like self-efficacy relate to performance in different minority groups, as most research on student motivation has been with Caucasian students (Graham & Taylor, 2002). The domain of reading was chosen for this study because of its importance to students’ overall achievement in school.
Methods, Techniques, or Modes of Inquiry
We used growth curve modeling in Mplus to examine change over time in reading self-efficacy and achievement and how they affect one another.
Participants. The sample included 244 African American seventh grade students (50% female). Fifty-four percent of the students qualified for free or reduced meals (FARMS).
Measures. Students’ reading self-efficacy and performance were measured at three time points: September, April, and June. Reading self-efficacy was measured using the self-efficacy scale from the Motivations for Reading Information Books School questionnaire (Wigfield, Ho, & Cambria, 2012). Cronbach alphas ranged from .82 to .85. Reading performance was assessed using a project-developed measure of students’ literal text comprehension and inferencing (Klauda & Guthrie, 2012). Cronbach alphas ranged from .75 to .92.
Results
Latent growth curve modeling was used to examine parallel growth trajectories of students’ self-efficacy and performance over time and how each of these constructs affected one another. The model fit well (RMSEA = .03; CFI = .99; SRMR = .05). Students’ initial achievement predicted students’ positive growth in self-efficacy and students’ initial self-efficacy predicted students’ positive growth in achievement while controlling for gender and SES. The model showed that female students and students who did not receive free or reduced lunch had higher initial achievement scores than male students and students who did receive free or reduced lunch. These control variables did not show a significant effect on growth in self-efficacy or achievement.
Significance
This study is the first to examine change over time in African American students’ reading self-efficacy and reading performance, and how change in each variable impacts the other. Results support other work that shows self-efficacy and performance relate reciprocally (Marsh & Martin, 2011), and are the first to show these relations in African American students. The results have important implications for reading intervention; they suggest that interventions for low achieving African American students should focus both on self-efficacy and skill building in reading.

Authors

• Allan L. Wigfield, University of Maryland - College Park

• Amy N. Ho, University of Maryland - College Park

• Lauren Elizabeth Musu-Gillette, National Center for Education Statistics