Self-Efficacy & Parental Involvement in the Urban Classroom

Albert Bandura’s definition of self-efficacy is “belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action to produce given attainments.” In other words, in order to accomplish a complicated task, one must believe they can do it in the first place. Self-efficacy (or lack of self-efficacy) manifests itself daily in the classroom. Students who have trouble reading or writing tend to act out, disrupt others, or avoid attending school in the first place. Considering Bandura’s definition, these reactions are not surprising. As humans, we like doing what comes naturally to us, and, when we struggle with a task, we tend to avoid that task altogether.
Karen Wood & William Blanton (2009), authors of Literacy Instruction for Adolescents, tell us:

When a respected person (e.g., teacher, friend, family member) who possesses a skill tells a listener that he or she can also acquire that skill, the listener is likely to internalize that belief. Although there are exceptions, persuading someone that he or she can acquire a skill is not likely successful unless the speaker possesses the skill (94).

This idea is significant because, if a student does not have someone in their life that reads and expresses to them the importance of literacy, that student is likely to lack self-efficacy in the classroom. Many times, in low-income, urban schools, students come from single parent households. In these cases, students are less likely to see role-models reading or examples of good literacy habits. Postelhwaite & Ross (1992) posit that “parental involvement in all its various forms…was the single best predictor of student achievement in reading for grades 2 and 8.” If this is the case, how can low-income, urban schools be expected to compete with their suburban counterparts? If reading self-efficacy comes from parents, and parents aren't present, how can we expect to engage the students in school?

We are stuck in a system pushing us to “compete”--- a “Race to the Top.” However, the idea of student self-efficacy and parental involvement (or lack of) is never taken into account when deciding “achievement.” All students are judged by the same standards despite having different backgrounds. Rather than using achievement test data to inform instruction and improve upon deficits, they are being used to punish students who lack both self-efficacy and the advantages of strong parental involvement.

References
Postlethwaite, T.N., & Ross, K.N. (1992) Effective schools in reading: Implications for policy Planners. The Hague: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.

Wood, K., & Blanton, W. (2009). Literacy Instruction for Adolescents: Research-Based Practice. New York: The Guilford Press.