Book Description

In today's society, students from urban environments are often exposed to higher rates of crime and violence, poverty, school dropout, incarceration, substance abuse, and many other factors that are associated with increased risk for social and/or emotional problems (Babbitt & Byrne, 1999; Jeffries, 2000; Schensul, 1998; Van Horn, 1999). Many of these factors interfere with the learning and educational process of urban adolescent students. Although many urban adolescents face similar risk factors, some students manage to overcome the stressors and show positive adaptation in the face of adversity. Unfortunately, these success stories are far too often the exception, rather than the norm or the expectation. Barbarin (1992) noted that the way African-American children are able to survive and thrive in the face of adversity clearly requires more attention. The current study explored this phenomenon by examining the relationships between self-efficacy, resilience and achievement, and provides empirical data to the scant research literature on African-American urban adolescents. The present study examined the relationships between self-efficacy, resilience and academic achievement among African-American urban high school students in Washington, DC. The study hypothesized positive relationships between self-efficacy, resilience and achievement, and also examined the contribution of self-efficacy and resilience in predicting academic achievement. Collected data were analyzed using correlation statistics, multiple regression analyses and analysis of variance. The study further explored the contributory effect of select demographic variables (i.e. authoritative parenting, role models, and socioeconomic status) on the variance in self-efficacy and resilience. Results indicated that resilience was significantly and positively correlated with achievement, self-efficacy and authoritative parenting. Additionally, authoritative parenting was significantly and positively correlated with achievement, influential role models, and self-efficacy. Authoritative parenting also emerged as a significant predictor of self-efficacy and resilience. Based on the findings of the current study, resilience and authoritative parenting may be protective factors for African-American urban youth. Strategies and interventions developed to support and promote resilience and authoritative parenting are likely to have implications for positive outcomes, which may also mitigate risk factors and contribute to lessening the achievement gap among cultural groups. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.