Students’ academic agency—their ideas, deeds, and feelings—and their confidence in succeeding academically are related. This self-assurance stems from their conviction that they can carry out particular actions that will lead to achievement, like tenacity, handling difficult situations, and following school regulations.
A study published in Social Psychology of Education examined the factors that contribute to the confidence of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, despite previous research suggesting that these students may be less confident about their schooling due to limited resources and access to technology.
Our research
The NSW Education Department conducted a survey on over 20,000 low-socioeconomic students from 421 New South Wales government schools to gauge their confidence, using responses from the “Tell Them From Me” survey.
The study examined five indicators of academic confidence: students’ sense of capability, belonging, perseverance, resilience, and appropriate behavior. It classified students into confident or low-confidence profiles based on their scores on NAPLAN scores in reading and numeracy.
Our findings
Half of the studied students had confident profiles, indicating average-to-high levels on five confidence indicators, similar to or higher than averages among students from medium- or high-socioeconomic backgrounds in a broader sample.
The study reveals that a significant number of low-socioeconomic students exhibit high academic confidence, with those in confident profiles achieving higher levels of academic success, while the remaining half of these students do worse academically and have low self-esteem profiles.
What kinds of educational support are available?
We also wanted to find out what kinds of instructional assistance kids need to feel secure. Therefore, we examined whether students received particular forms of instructional help through the survey. Specifically:
1. pupils’ perception of their teacher’s interest in and commitment to their academic success or emotional support
2. The relevance of instruction or students’ perception that academic material and assignments have importance
3. Clarity and organization, or the instruction of pupils in classes that are well-organized
4. feedback/feedforward, or the idea that pupils receive helpful criticism and clear instructions from their teachers
5. Classroom management, or instructing pupils in environments with explicit guidelines and standards.
The study found that students with high levels of classroom management, instructional relevance, and emotional support are more likely to be in the confident profiles. These factors, along with knowing what is expected of them, seeing their lessons as important, and feeling their teachers care about them, contribute to their academic confidence. This suggests that effective teaching support is crucial for academic success.
How does this affect educators and educational institutions?
The study reveals that a significant number of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds are confident, and suggests that teaching support plays a crucial role in their academic development, despite the numerous factors that influence their success beyond their control.
Certain targeted techniques for teachers are suggested by prior research as well as new materials created as part of our effort. Among them are:
- dividing up instructional tasks into manageable portions so that students feel competent, accomplished, and inspired to continue
- “Debrief time,” during which instructors discuss with the students how to handle any unpleasant feelings following the return of an assignment
- teachers ensuring they provide each student with their full attention and resources
- elucidating the significance and meaning of a task
- elucidating the significance of behavioral expectations.
