MINORITY STUDENTS: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF SELF-EFFICACY AND THE RELATIONSHIP TO FOURTH GRADE READING ACHIEVEMENT

Education reform continues at a rapid pace in American schools, yet many minority students continue to struggle with reading achievement. This quantitative study examines the relationship between self-efficacy and fourth grade reading achievement. The theoretical framework for this study uses Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Jerome Bruner’s Constructivist Theory. This research study asked three questions. First, what is the relationship between self-efficacy and student reading achievement? Second, is there a significant relationship between self-concept and socioeconomic status on student reading achievement? Third, is there a significant relationship between self-efficacy on student achievement for any of the independent variables of gender, race/ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic status? The study collected data from the 2013 NAEP fourth grade reading assessment, which used data from 189,400 public schools and derived from a sample group of 196,000 fourth-grade students. The researcher employed a Plausible Value Regression to test hypotheses. Findings indicate a significant relationship between self-efficacy and reading achievement for fourth-grade minority students. Self-concept, socioeconomic status, gender, and race/ethnicity are variables associated with this finding. Based on the present study results, it is recommended that educators develop a cadre of best practices to address minority students’ self-efficacy considering the evidence for the impact of student socioeconomic status. This study contributes to social change by providing educators with an understanding of the concept of self-efficacy and its correlation to academic achievement in reading, especially among minority students who are faced with a multitude of challenges in society today