Self‐efficacy and future career expectations of at‐risk adolescents: The contribution of a tutoring program.

Tutoring and mentoring programs may be a promisingintervention to help at‐risk children who may be in need of a positive influence in their lives. The purpose of the current study was to examine the contribution of tutoring to at‐risk adolescents' self‐efficacy and future career expectations. Ninety‐eight tutees and 147 college student tutors completed the Self‐Efficacy Questionnaire for Children, the Work and Education subscale of the Future Expectations Scale for Adolescents, and a background questionnaire twice: first at the beginning and then toward the end of 8 months of tutoring. Both tutees and tutors reported higher levels of tutees' social and emotional self‐efficacy as well as future expectations toward the end of the year. Tutors also reported higher levels of tutee academic self‐efficacy. Increased self‐efficacy was associated with increased levels of future expectations. Changes in academic and social self‐efficacy predicted changes in tutees' future career expectations. Implications for theory and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]