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The influence of self-efficacy and parental involvement on primary school students’ math academic achievement across socio-economic backgrounds
Author
Lee, Ching
Supervisor
Koh, Caroline
Abstract
This study investigates the relationships between socio-economic status, parental involvement, self-efficacy and Math achievement among Primary 6 pupils in the Singapore context. 270 pupils from two government schools in Singapore participated in a survey which required them to indicate their socio-economic status, their perception of parental involvement and their self-efficacy in Math. A Math Quiz was also administered to determine their achievement in Math. The findings from statistical analyses suggest that self-efficacy is a predictor of Math achievement, with males exhibiting a higher achievement in Math than their female counterparts. The results also showed that the educational level of parents did not have a significant influence on parental involvement. However, there was a significant correlation between the socio-economic status of the pupils and parental involvement in extra-curricular activities. With greater SES, parents could be more engaged in educational outings and academic pursuits with their children. The results also suggest that the Math test scores are not dependent on parental involvement. A negative correlation was found to exist between Math test scores and parental involvement in school work. The amount of capital resources at home was also not an indicator of Math test scores and pupils’ self-efficacy. Although Math test scores were not significantly correlated with socio-economic status, pupils with the lowest socio-economic status were found to have obtained the highest Math scores and the self-efficacy of this group of pupils was also found to be high. In addition, pupils with the highest amount of capital resources reported the lowest parental involvement. The results also showed that the males perceived higher parental involvement, especially where extra-curricular activities were concerned.
Date Issued
2013
Call Number
QA11.2 Lee
Date Submitted
2013