Maternal Self-Efficacy: Does It Explain School Involvement?

ABSTRACT

Using a predominantly African American Head Start sample, this study examined whether maternal self-efficacy moderated the relationships between parent involvement (comfort and endorsement of school, school-based involvement, and parent-teacher contact) and children's academic readiness, approaches to learning, and socioemotional development. Mothers rated themselves as highly efficacious, whereas teachers rated mothers as low in their involvement in their children's learning. Regression analyses indicated that children benefited when their highly efficacious mothers were highly involved in school events, whereas when less efficacious mothers were less involved in the school setting, their children were rated as more advanced in their school readiness skills. The findings from this study provide evidence of the importance of self-efficacy and involvement in children's school readiness. In addition, the results emphasize the need to examine activities occurring in the home when mothers may not be comfortable in the school setting.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported in part by a grant (90YD0139/01) from the Administration for Children and Families to the author and a post doctoral fellowship sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (R305B060021). The author wishes to gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and support of the Miami-Dade County Head Start, teachers, parents, and children who made this work possible, as well as mentors and colleagues who provided multiple feedbacks.

Notes

† p < .10.

∗ p < .05.

∗∗ p < .01.

^a Variable was centered.

† p < .10.

∗ p < .05.

∗∗ p < .01.