Does Self-Efficacy Bridge the Attainment-Aspiration Gap for Students With a Migration Background?

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

Abstract

Objectives and Framework
Students from migrant backgrounds tend to report high academic aspirations despite low success in school, a phenomenon known as the attainment-aspiration-gap (Hill & Torres, 2010). Several explanations for this phenomenon are discussed in the literature, one of which is overestimation of abilities and chances by students with migrant backgrounds. The paper to be presented investigates this, introducing self-efficacy as a potential source of influence on aspirations. Self-efficacy is a strong correlate of achievement but does not necessarily reflect actual attainment in all students similarly (Bandura, 1993).
The paper to be presented (1) aims at replication of the attainment-aspiration-gap for the two largest groups of students with migration backgrounds (Turkish and former Soviet Union/Polish) in low tracks of German schools and (2) investigates whether actual attainment and self-efficacy are differentially predictive of educational aspirations in groups of students from different countries of origin.
Methods
A quantitative multi-group design using tests and questionnaires is employed. Academic self-efficacy is assessed using a six-item scale (α=.76). Academic aspiration is operationalized via students’ ratings of how likely they are to complete the highest secondary education track. Socio-economic status is operationalized via parents’ occupations (HISEI). Attainment values stem from standardized reading and mathematics tests. Statistical methods are ANOVA and multiple group modeling with Chi²-difference testing to evaluate whether coefficients differ between groups.
Data
Data were drawn from the first measurement point of a longitudinal study on grade seven students in low tracks of the German school system (N = 44 schools). Of N = 898 students, 321 (47 %) had Turkish backgrounds, 118 (17 %) backgrounds in Poland or the former Soviet Union, and 244 students (36 %) had no migration background.
Results
ANOVA results show an attainment-aspiration-gap: Students with Turkish migration backgrounds show significantly lower test scores but higher academic aspirations compared to German students. Students with backgrounds in Poland or the former Soviet Union have an intermediate position with lower reading test scores than Germans but similar aspirations and mathematics test scores. Regarding prediction of aspirations via attainment and self-efficacy, results show that attainment is a significant predictor of aspirations for German students only. There are no differences between groups regarding self-efficacy: It is the strongest predictor of aspirations in all groups. Adding SES as a predictor does not change results for the Turkish subgroup; in the Russian/Polish subgroup it has a significant influence on aspirations. For Germans, SES is a strong predictor, also adding it to the model reduces the influence of attainment on aspirations.
6 Significance
The paper makes an important contribution towards the explanation of the attainment-aspiration-gap. Results show that – indeed – students with migration backgrounds, especially from Turkey, base their aspirations on self-efficacy rather than actual attainment, thus hinting at cultural differences in how aspirations are formed and pursued. In this group, overestimation of abilities leads to unrealistic aspirations. For educational practice, this knowledge provides a promising pathway to help students to achieve their potentials. Further significance for research is discussed.

Authors

• Hanna Dorothea Ferdinand, IFS - TU Dortmund

• Nele McElvany, TU Dortmund University

• Wilfried Bos, University of Dortmund

• Miriam Marleen Gebauer, TU Dortmund University

• Thorben Huelmann, Technical University of Dortmund