Promoting the will and skill of students at academic risk: an evaluation of an instructional design geared to foster achievement, self-efficacy and motivation

Journal of Instructional Psychology, March, 2003 by Miriam Alfassi

Method

The participants of this study were 52 high school students characterized as potential school dropouts, who lack the "will" and "skill" to be academically adept. All students had dropped out of the regular school setup and were enrolled at alternative high schools geared for under-achieving students at high academic risk. The schools were randomly selected from a pool of alternative schools in a specific urban school district. The schools served a similar student body, deriving largely from families with a low socioeconomic status. Students age ranged from 14 to 17 (M = 15.95 SD = 1.47). Thirty students were enrolled in classes at an eighth grade level (age M = 15.83 SD = 1.49) and twenty-two students were enrolled in classes at a ninth grade level (age M = 16.11 SD = 1.46). Placement in the different levels was determined according to their acquired academic skills. The amount of hours devoted to academic studies was similar at both grade levels.

The experimental group consisted of 37 students enrolled in an alternative school that adopted a structured academic program, which entailed organizational and instructional modifications of the existing practices within the school. The control group was comprised of 15 students enrolled at an alternative school that used conventional remedial instruction and curricula.

The composition of the groups with respect to ethnic origin was similar. Chi square analyses did not find significant differences between groups in the distribution of the demographic variables of gender _2 (1, N = 52) = 2.75, p >.05, social-economical status_2 (1, N = 51) = 1.49, p >.05, and age_2 (1, N = 52) = 1.44, p >.05. To further ensure that the groups selected were comparable a structured interview was administered to both school principals. An analysis of the responses to the structured interview verified that the schools participating in the study serve a similar student body and expect students to learn similar contents in the realm of language and math skills at the different grade levels. Moreover, the analysis corroborated previous findings that the scholastic performance of students enrolled in 8th and 9th grade level courses in alternative schools for students at high academic risk is equivalent to that of students in the third and fourth grade of elementary school (Cohen-Navot & Givon, 1998). The schools were found to provide the same amount of academic and vocational instruction and were equally equipped with libraries, laboratories and computers. The school faculty all had similar professional training and years of experience.

As mentioned above all students were placed in the different grade levels based upon their acquired skills as assessed by common tests of math and language skills administered by both schools. In order to verify that students of both groups were not only of comparable academic skill but also of comparable intelligence the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) was administered to all students. The findings confirmed that the difference between the groups was insignificant F(1,50) = .59, p >.05. The general mean performance on the SPM (M = 34.98 SD = 5.66) revealed that the mean intelligence of students in this study was within the below average range of intellectual functioning.

Schools

The schools participating in this study were remedial institutions aimed at students aged 12-18 who had not been able to adjust to the regular school system and were at high academic risk. The mandate of these schools was to keep the students within the educational system and to enable them to acquire the scholastic, social and work skills required to function in society. To this end, these schools offered a combined program of vocational training in workshops, academic studies, and a variety of other enrichment activities. Upon completing the program the school granted their graduates certificates reflective of their years of schooling.