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Introduction: Research on the influence of academic self-efficacy and educational aspirations on academic performance is underdeveloped in resource-limited countries. This study replicates and expands on earlier research that investigated a complex network of relationships between academic self-efficacy, educational aspirations, and academic performance.Methods: Data from 4282 adolescents in Ghana and path analysis were used to test the causal pathways, and path invariance analysis was used to assess the moderation role of gender. Instrumental variable techniques were used to validate the path models.Results: Increase in academic self-efficacy indirectly accounts for improvement in academic performance through the mediational role of educational aspirations. The effects of self-efficacy on educational aspirations, and educational aspirations were stronger for boys than for girls.Conclusions: These findings suggest that in resource-limited countries where the financial burden of schooling tends to be a demotivating factor, interventions that target adolescents' academic self-efficacy may be an effective means to boost educational aspirations and academic performance. Interventions should be tailored to meet the needs of all students so that all children can think of school as an important part of their lives and aspire to achieve, now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that several factors influence student engagement, but little is known about the predictive role of family economic hardships on student engagement, particularly in the sub-Saharan African context. This study used data from junior high school students in Ghana to examine the association between perceived family economic hardship and students' classroom engagement, and the intervening role of future intentions. The structural equation modeling results indicate that perceived economic hardship is associated with behavioral engagement in school in two ways. The first is the direct positive link from perceived economic hardship to engagement (i.e., the motivational pathway ). The second is a more nuanced channel whereby perceived economic difficulties are negatively associated with students' participation in academic work, but only through the inconsistent mediating (suppression) role of students' future intentions (i.e., the demoralizing pathway ). The nuanced psychological and behavioral outcomes suggest the need for programs that cultivate educational resilience among young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature is unequivocal about the importance of improving academic engagement in addressing challenges such as school drop out or increasing student motivation. What is less certain, particularly in the literature from developing countries, is how social support systems (parents, teachers, and classmates) influence students’ emotional and behavioral engagement. Drawing from the ecological perspective, this study analyzes data from Ghana using structural equation modeling to examine mediated and unmediated pathways through which parent, teacher, and classmate support affect students’ emotional and behavioral engagement. Findings suggest classmate support has the strongest association with student engagement, followed by parental support. Teacher support is neither a mediator nor a direct predictor of student engagement. These findings have implications for teacher training and professional development, especially training on how to actively involve parents in motivating their children to be engaged scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As youth transition to adulthood, their ability to save and accumulate assets becomes very important as they begin to accept financial responsibilities and plan for the future. In this paper, we investigated the effects of an asset building intervention on youth asset accumulation in Masindi, a rural area in Uganda. Two waves of data were collected on youth, between 15 and 35years of age, for both the treatment and comparison groups. We used a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique and Difference-in-Difference model to estimate the effects of the asset building intervention. We find that the mean difference in financial assets ($763.17), total wealth ($897.75) and net-worth ($1117.83) are statistically significant in favor of the youth in the treatment group. However, the mean difference in productive assets ($3.77) is not statistically significant. The results show that youth in rural Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are able to accumulate substantial assets that may well contribute to their well-being in the long-term. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sexting is increasing among adolescents globally and may be an indicator of sexual activity. Yet researchers know little about sexting patterns of forcibly displaced urban adolescents. We sought to identify patterns of sexting among these adolescents and to determine how sexting patterns differed by adolescents' digital technology use, support of equitable gender norms, and sexual health practices. Using data from a community-based sample, we identified three groups: non-sexters, or individuals who did not sext (n = 205; 84.7%); moderate sexters, or individuals who received sexually explicit texts and nude pictures, but only sent texts (n = 13; 5.4%); and poly-sexters, or individuals who sent and received both texts and nude pictures (n = 24; 9.9%). We observed differences between sexting patterns and digital technology use, gender norms, and sexual health practices. Understanding these sexting patterns may inform the development and implementation of digital sexual health interventions for forcibly displaced adolescents. This study highlights potential positive outcomes associated with sexting (i.e., condom efficacy and use) as well as its concerning correlated factors (e.g., less access to sexual and reproductive health services) among refugee adolescents. Based on these findings, we offer recommendations for future digital sexual health interventions. • There were 3 groups of sexters. • Non sexters were the most prevalent type of sexter (84.7%). • Moderate sexters were mostly adolescent girls, digital technology users, and had high equitable gender norms. • Poly sexters were mostly adolescent boys who reported high condom efficacy and use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]