A cross-cultural study of student self-efficacy profiles and the associated predictors and outcomes using a multigroup latent profile analysis

Abstract

Based on PISA 2018 data, this study utilized multigroup latent profile analyses to explore the profiles of self-efficacy (SE) and its associations with gender, socioeconomic status, fear of failure and academic achievements among students from China, USA and Finland (N = 22,545). Results indicated (1) Three SE profiles were identified across countries: Low SE, Moderate SE and High SE; (2) Proportions of students categorized into each of the three profiles differed across countries, with USA and Finland having higher prevalence of High SE, whereas China Moderate and Low SE; (3) Girls in USA and Finland had greater likelihood of being classified into higher SE profiles, whereas greater likelihood for Chinese boys; (4) Higher socioeconomic status was associated with greater likelihood of membership into higher SE profiles across countries; (5) Different patterns emerged across countries regarding the relations of SE profiles to fear of failure and academic achievements.