Academic Optimism and Student Achievement in Urban Elementary Schools

Autor/inn/en	Smith, Page A.; Hoy, Wayne K.
Titel	Academic Optimism and Student Achievement in Urban Elementary Schools
Quelle	In: Journal of Educational Administration, 45 (2007) 5, S.556-568 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0957-8234
DOI	10.1108/09578230710778196
Schlagwörter	Urban Schools; Elementary Schools; Academic Achievement; School Size; Organizational Climate; Social Capital; Epistemology; Personality Traits; Socioeconomic Influences; Institutional Characteristics; Educational Environment; Trust (Psychology); Collegiality; Social Theories; Texas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Urban area; Urban areas; School; Schools; Stadtregion; Stadt; Schule; Elementary school; Grundschule; Volksschule; Schulleistung; Organisationsklima; Sozialkapital; Erkenntnistheorie; Individual characteristics; Personality characteristic; Persönlichkeitsmerkmal; Sozioökonomischer Faktor; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Kollegialität; Gesellschaftstheorie
Abstract	Purpose: The aim of this study was two-fold: to demonstrate a general construct of schools called academic optimism and to show it was related to student achievement in urban elementary schools, even controlling for socioeconomic factors, and school size. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 99 urban elementary schools in Texas and multiple regression and factor analyses were used to test a series of hypotheses guiding the inquiry. Findings: The major hypotheses of the study were supported; academic optimism was a second-order construct comprised of collective efficacy, faculty trust, and academic optimism. Moreover, academic optimism is a school characteristic that predicts student achievement even controlling for socioeconomic status. Practical implications: The results support Bandura's social cognitive theory, Coleman's social capital theory, Hoy and Tarter's work on organizational climate, and demonstrate the existence of a cultural property of schools called academic optimism. Further, the findings have practical implications for developing strategies to improve the academic performance of urban schools. Originality/value: The findings demonstrate the existence of a new collective construct, academic optimism, which has the potential to help improve the effectiveness of schools. (Contains 5 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10