Addressing Environmental and Individual Factors in Early Secondary School: The Roles of Instruction Techniques and Self-Perception

Abstract

AbstractRisk factors for poor academic performance include variables such as lower socio-economic status, migrant status, and the presence of special education needs. These risk factors can be mediated by the self-concept of the learner, instructional techniques, and classroom size. Due to the diverse nature of these factors, a comprehensive approach is needed to examine their role. This chapter reports on two NEPS (National Education Panel Study) analyses that examined teaching styles (N = 1072 students in math classes and N = 794 in reading classes) and the mediating role of self-concept and self-esteem (N = 5923 in math classes and N = 5919 in reading classes) along with different sets of risk factors. Results showed that group work related to better outcomes for second-language learners in math and reading, and discussions related to worse outcomes in math for the same group. Further, self-concept and self-esteem partially mediated the effects of gender, special education needs, and non-verbal reasoning on both reading and math competence. These results highlight the importance of varied instructional styles and classroom size, as well as the important role of self-concept and self-esteem as partial mediators of risk factors.