Promoting the will and skill of students at academic risk: An examination of a school intervention geared to foster achievement,

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an instructional design in enhancing the academic competence and confidence of students who are at risk for dropping out of school. It is a comparative study aimed at exploring the role instructional practices adopted by schools play in developing and cultivating self-efficacy beliefs. Thirty-seven students enrolled in an Israeli remedial highschool which applied a learner centered structured academic program geared to raise students' academic achievements while providing them with opportunities to gain confidence in their learning abilities were compared to 15 students enrolled in an Israeli conventional remedial high-school. The results indicate that a structured academic program yields significantly higher achievement and self-efficacy scores, and a higher internal motivational orientation. Findings suggest that applying a program geared to foster both academic competence and confidence provides a beneficial synergy to the student. This study supports the contention of social cognitive theory that to increase achievement educational efforts should focus on raising students' self-efficacy through authentic mastery experiences (Bandura, 1977,1997 Results are further discussed regarding implications for practice and theory.