Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2015

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Educational Psychology

First Advisor

Jina Yoon

Abstract

A significant body of research and literature supports that student engagement in school is critical to academic outcomes. Research also finds that students’ beliefs about their ability to be successful at academic tasks will significantly influence their achievement also. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of academic self-efficacy on achievement in school, as mediated by levels of student engagement. The sample size was approximately 400 students enrolled in the 7th and 8th grade at one middle school building. In order to assess the extent of academic self-efficacy, the Academic Efficacy scale was utilized. In order to measure cognitive, behavioral and affective engagement, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) and The Engagement vs. Disaffection with Learning questionnaire were administered. Levels of previous and current student achievement were collected from the CORE reading Curriculum-Based Measures, English Language Arts and Math grades (converted to GPA) as well as NWEA Measures of Academic Progress. Results of the study did not support the hypothesized model. However, academic-self efficacy was found to be related to student engagement and previous and current achievement. Further, previous achievement was a significant predictor of current achievement.

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