Academic Self-Efficacy in Unaccompanied Foreign Minors: Structural Equation Modelling According to Schooling

Abstract

(1) Background: New migratory flows taking place in Europe and the USA are categorised by a huge arrival of unaccompanied foreign minors (UFM), requiring appropriate attention to schooling in order to guarantee their integration. In facing this situation, the various political and educational administrations of the European Union (EU) have promoted an action plan for schools. Despite this, it has been shown that schooling does not totally guarantee social integration, encouraging the development of a new social model to generate new ways of understanding the learning process. (2) Methods: The aim of the present study is to adapt and validate Bandura’s academic self-efficacy scale (2006) within a sample of UFM. This scale is composed of 18 items distributed according to three underlying constructs. (3) Results: The validation analysis consisted of an exploratory factorial analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation, followed by confirmatory factorial analysis using structural equations (root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.052; normalised fit index (NFI) = 0.90; incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.91; confirmatory fit index (CFI) = 0.91). Reliability and internal consistency of the instrument was also tested with values being higher than 0.7 for all dimensions. (4) Conclusions: The final instrument was reduced to 12 items which were grouped into three dimensions (effort, self-confidence and understanding). Finally, the conducted multi-group analysis showed a stronger relationship between understanding, self-confidence and effort within UFM who had resided in Spain for a longer time. This could be linked to the more prolonged schooling process received.