Abstracts Psychology

Math Achievement and Self-Efficacy of Linguistically and Ethnically Diverse High School Students| Their Relationships with English Reading and Native Language Proficiency

by Elena Son

The under-preparation in math at the high school and college levels, as well as the low participation of ethnically and linguistically diverse individuals in STEM fields are concerning because their preparation for work in these areas is essential for the U.S. to remain competitive in the innovative knowledge economy. While there is now a substantial body of research on this group of students, there remain unresolved questions around the role of linguistic factors, affective variables, and prior achievement. In light of this concern, the purpose of the study was two-fold. One was to examine the moderating role of first language (L1) proficiency on the effects of language minority (LM) status in English reading. The second was to investigate the mediating roles of English reading and math achievement in the relationship between such interaction and math self-efficacy. The study was a secondary analysis of the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS 2002, n =16,110). Using a multilevel SEM analysis the study did not find support for the moderating role of L1 proficiency. However, English reading and math achievement mediated the relationship between LM status and math self-efficacy. These findings provide further knowledge for the development of targeted interventions that aim at increasing the preparation and participation of linguistically and ethnically diverse students in STEM fields.