The effects of parent and adolescent efficacy measures on achievement among urban, single parent, ethnic minority families

Sarah Emily Stern, Fordham University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between parents' self-efficacy in the domains of parenting and coping, adolescents' academic efficacy, and adolescents' academic achievement in low-income, urban, ethnic minority, single parent families. This study hypothesized that adolescent academic efficacy and parent coping efficacy will serve as partial mediators in the relationship between parental efficacy and adolescent academic achievement. Parent coping efficacy is also hypothesized to add to the prediction of adolescent academic achievement beyond the variables of parental efficacy and academic efficacy. Hypotheses were tested using a path analysis and a hierarchical regression. Participants included 159 pairs of single parents/guardians and their 11- to 14-year-old child living in inner-city, low-income neighborhoods. Original quantitative data collection was drawn from self-report questionnaires. Results of a path analysis indicated that parents' coping efficacy and adolescent academic efficacy did not serve as mediator variables in the relationship between parental efficacy and academic achievement. However, the relation between academic efficacy and academic achievement yielded a significant path coefficient. A significant, negative correlation emerged between parental efficacy and parent coping efficacy. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis did not support the hypothesis that parent coping efficacy would contribute to academic achievement beyond the variables of parental efficacy, academic efficacy, parent education, household income, adolescent age and adolescent gender. Limitations and implications of this study were considered and recommendations for future research were made.

Subject Area

School counseling|Educational psychology|Developmental psychology|Ethnic studies

Recommended Citation

Stern, Sarah Emily, "The effects of parent and adolescent efficacy measures on achievement among urban, single parent, ethnic minority families" (2008). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3312056.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3312056

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