An examination of the poverty-related attainment gap in scottish school children: The role of academic self-efficacy and school attendance

Michael T. McKay, John L. Perry, Jon C. Cole, Maura Kearney, Michele McClung

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Closing the poverty-related attainment gap in school children is a stated priority for the Scottish Government. Previous research has attested to the relationship between academic attainment and both school attendance, and academic self-efficacy. The present study examined the poverty-related attainment gap in Glasgow, which contains more than half of the 100 most deprived areas in Scotland. The study measured self-efficacy, school attendance, socio-economic status, sensation seeking, heavy episodic drinking, and Tariff Score, a composite academic attainment score. Participants were 3,924 pupils in their fourth year of high school, attending 30 Local Authority schools in Glasgow. Preliminary results revealed that of three socio-economic indicators used, only Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) was significantly associated with attainment. While social, and emotional self-efficacy scores remained relatively stable over the four waves of data collection, there was a slight decline in academic self-efficacy with time, and an interaction of emotional self-efficacy with gender, such that females reported significantly lower self-efficacy than males. Tariff Score was equally predicted by academic self-efficacy, SIMD, and school attendance. Results suggest that increasing academic self-efficacy and school attendance are viable means of increasing school attainment in this context.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook on Child and Adolescent Behavior and Health
PublisherNova Science Publishers, Inc.
Pages105-119
Number of pages15
ISBN (Print)9781536179200
Publication statusPublished - 22 May 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Academic Self-Efficacy
  • Attainment
  • Scotland
  • Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
  • Tariff Score

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