Opportunities and obstacles: Using profile analysis to examine sources of reading self-efficacy in early adolescence

Abstract

When investigating the sources of self-efficacy, researchers have historically focused on learners' perceptions of positive (e.g., direct & vicarious successes, encouragement & praise) and negative (e.g., stress, anxiety) experiences. These approaches may not capture other types of efficacy-relevant experiences. The purpose of this study was to investigate how early adolescent readers perceive and integrate diverse types of efficacy-relevant information. Students (N = 1804) responded to items related to four hypothesized sources of self-efficacy that reflected opportunities and obstacles in reading. Latent profile analysis indicated four profiles related to students' efficacy-relevant reading experiences. These profiles were examined in relation to students' gender, socioeconomic status, grade level, and race/ethnicity. Students exposed to mostly positive sources of information showed higher levels of reading self-efficacy and reading achievement than those reporting more exposure to negative sources of information. Results highlight the importance of providing opportunities and minimizing obstacles to support adolescents' reading self-efficacy.