Exploring the Influence of Efficacy Beliefs and Homework Help in Predicting Reading Achievement Among Underserved Children in an Afterschool Program

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a local afterschool program in helping underserved elementary school students improve their reading achievement. The study followed a cohort of students with 28 participants who were low-income, ethnic minority children in the 1st–6th g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Urban review Vol. 49; no. 5; pp. 707 - 728
Main Authors Lee, Diane Sookyoung, Dang, Tina G., Ulibas-Pascual, Jennifer, Gordon Biddle, Kimberly A., Heller de Leon, Brian, Elliott, Deborah, Gorter, Josiah
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.12.2017
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Academic Achievement
Achievement Gains
After School Programs
Children
Community and Environmental Psychology
Correlation
Disadvantaged
Education
Efficacy
Elementary School Students
Ethnic Groups
Ethnicity
Homework
Low Income
Low income groups
Minority Groups
Minority students
Perceptions
Prediction
Program Effectiveness
Reading
Reading Achievement
Self Efficacy
Sociology
Teacher Attitudes
Underserved populations
Efficacy
Reading
Ethnic minority
Poverty
Afterschool program
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a local afterschool program in helping underserved elementary school students improve their reading achievement. The study followed a cohort of students with 28 participants who were low-income, ethnic minority children in the 1st–6th grades between the ages of 6 and 12. Data on students’ developmental assets and school progress were collected at two different time points. Overall, students showed increased perceptions of efficacy about having the ability and skills to do well on a task and getting good grades in school, as well as improvements in reading achievement over time. While changes in homework completion predicted changes in reading achievement, changes in efficacy beliefs and program exposure did not. Results suggest that teacher perceptions of homework completion may be an important pathway through which afterschool programs can help narrow the reading achievement gap experienced by ethnic minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
ISSN:0042-0972
1573-1960
DOI:10.1007/s11256-017-0418-9