Experiential Learning, Textbook Learning, and Self-Efficacy

• In Event: Influence of Texts and Contexts on English Language Learners and Struggling Readers

Abstract

This paper examines the self-efficacy beliefs of below-level readers when learning from textbooks on the one hand and from academic trips on the other. More broadly, this study seeks to determine whether below-level readers feel different levels of academic confidence based solely on the instructional model being utilized, and not on the particular subject matter of focus. This study investigates this question in hopes of identifying instructional practices that could be expected to help improve educational outcomes for students from low-income homes and for students of color—two groups that test data demonstrate continue to lag far behind their more affluent classmates and their white peers. This study utilizes a mixed-methods approach to examine student self-efficacy levels.

Author

• Matthew Wheelock, Live It Learn It