A Hierarchical Linear Modelling Analysis of Ecological Predictors of Academic Achievement of Refugee Students in Kenya

• Author / Creator

  Khaemba, Jane N

• Refugee children experience significant challenges in their schooling that can lead to poor performance and dropping out of school. To date, no study has examined what factors predict academic achievement of refugee youth in schools in low-income countries that host most of the world’s refugee students. The current study was conducted in primary (Grades 7 and 8; n = 400 students, 400 parents/guardians, 80 teachers, 20 schools) and secondary (Forms 1 and 2; n = 400 students, 400 parents/guardians, 80 teachers, 20 schools) schools in Kenya and examined individual, family, teacher, and school factors that may predict refugee students’ academic achievement. Predictor variables included measured variables (student self-efficacy, parental involvement, teacher expectations, and teachers’ self-efficacy) and status variables (student age, gender, and grade level; parent age, gender, level of education, family type, and housing status; teacher age, gender, qualifications, and experiences; and school location). A three-level hierarchical linear model (students nested within classes nested within schools) was used to analyze the data for primary schools and a two-level hierarchical linear model (students nested within schools) was used to analyze the data for secondary schools. The results showed that student self-efficacy, parental involvement, and teacher expectations were positively associated with students’ GPA both in primary and secondary schools, and teachers’ self-efficacy predicted primary school students’ GPA. Some status variables, such as family type and grade level predicted primary school students’ GPA, and parents’ level of education predicted secondary school students’ GPA. The age of the students, parents, or teachers, as well as teachers’ gender and qualifications had no significant association with students’ GPA in the final models. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are provided.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Academic achievement
  • Bio-ecological theory
  • Pygmalion effect
  • Low-income countries
  • Ecological predictors
  • Nested design
  • Academic performance of refugee students
  • Teacher expectations
  • Self-efficacy
  • Parental involvement
  • Refugee students
  • Self-fulfilling prophecy
  • Hierarchical Linear Modeling Analysis

• Graduation date

  Spring 2015

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3QF8JS8P

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.