The efficacy of students toward learning within an Afrocentric education program

This study examined the self-efficacy of African-American students in an Afrocentric education program with the purpose of determining if student self-efficacy is higher among African-American students in an Afrocentric school in comparison to African-American students within a mainstream school. This quantitative study examined the self-efficacy of students based on student responses on the Self-Efficacy for Learning Form (SELF) given to African-American students in an Afrocentric education program and African-American students in a mainstream school in the areas of reading, studying, test preparation, note-taking, and writing. Scores from the SELF survey were compared to determine which group of students demonstrated higher levels of self-efficacy based on their responses. A total of 446 students participated in the study: 242 from the Afrocentric program and 204 from the mainstream school. An ANOVA was utilized to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the self-efficacy of African American students in an Afrocentric program in comparison to African American students in a mainstream school in regard to reading, studying, test preparation, note-taking, and writing. The results of the analysis indicate that there were significant differences in the areas on reading self-efficacy, studying self-efficacy, test preparation self-efficacy, note-taking self-efficacy, and writing self-efficacy. This research is significant because it explores a pedagogy that could be used to address the achievement gap. Through this study, educators and researchers will be able to see if African-American students' self-efficacy increases when the culture of the student is considered fundamental to their education