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A Study of At-risk High School Students' Calibration Accuracy, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, and Use of Assessment Results

Abstract

The authors examined a number of key self-regulatory processes among 88 at-risk high school students. Students' self-efficacy, performance, and calibration accuracy were assessed and weekly detailed feedback of the assessment results were provided to experimental groups. In a quasi-experimental design, one class in Integrated Algebra (IA) and one in Living Environment (LE) in an intensive summer program served as the experimental groups receiving weekly assessments, while other classes (in the same two content areas) were comparison groups. Findings suggested that IA students reported increased use of self-regulatory strategies compared to LE students. In terms of calibration accuracy, an increase was detected from week to week for experimental groups; initial significant differences between experimental and control groups on calibration accuracy disappeared by the end of the summer program. As with usefulness of feedback, experimental groups perceived the usefulness of assessment results in changing how they studied.