Examining the academic resilience in mathematics performance for the underprivileged ninth graders using the national data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS: 09)

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2014-08

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Abstract

This study evaluated an attribute model for academic resilience in mathematics and examined its relationship with student performance. The first wave of data from the High School Longitudinal Study (2009) was used. The participants were a sub sample of 2398 ninth graders selected by using combined criteria of the lowest socioeconomic status (i.e., 1st quintile) and the ethnicity groups of interest (i.e., Hispanic, African American, and White). A total of 15 items were selected from the Student Questionnaire to measure the three attributes in the conceptual model, i.e., self-efficacy, coping skills, and educational aspiration. Three phases of analyses were conducted. Results of the first phase exploratory factor analyses lead to a reduction of the instrument from 15 to 12 items. Results of the second phase confirmatory factor analyses confirmed and validated the second-order attribute model. Results of the third phase structural equation modeling suggested that academic resilience as represented by the three attributes significantly accounted for the variance in students’ mathematics performance with Self-Efficacy and Coping Skills but not Educational Aspiration being significant predictors. Yet caution is warranted for the interpretation of the findings. The results were also discussed from a social cognitive theoretical perspective.

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Keywords

Academic resilience, Mathematics, Self-efficacy, Coping skills, Educational aspiration

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