The Relationship Between Youth Developmental Assets and Middle School Students' Academic Performance in Addis Ababa : The Case of Selected Schools
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Date
2025
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study aims to examine the correlation between youth developmental assets and student's academic performance of grade 7 and 8 students in private and government schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. And it employed a descriptive quantitative research design to examine the relation between youth developmental assets and academic performance among middle school students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The research aimed to: (1) assess the current status of students' developmental assets, (2) determine their relation to academic achievement, (3) identify key assets influencing performance, and (4) examine variations by school type, gender, and socioeconomic status. Data was collected from 291 students (53.6% male, 46.4% female) across Grades 7-8 in both private (55.8%) and government (44.2%) schools. The study measured eight key developmental assets including commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, positive identity, external support, empowerment, expectations/boundaries, and constructive time use. Results revealed statistically significant intercorrelations among assets. Students demonstrated strengths in prosocial values (M=4.79) and family support (M=4.11), but showed room for improvement in emotional expression (M=3.46) and perceived control (M=3.71). The assets collectively explained 91% of academic performance variance, with empowerment (β=1.18) and expectations/boundaries (β=0.81) emerging as the strongest predictors. Variations were observed by school type and location: private school students reported higher levels of commitment to learning and positive identity, while government school students showed greater strengths in family support and positive values. These findings underscore the importance of holistic youth development approaches in Ethiopian educational contexts and suggest the need for targeted interventions addressing emotional skills and community support systems while building on existing strengths in values education and family engagement.
Keywords: youth developmental assets, academic performance, Ethiopia, middle school students, empowerment.
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Keywords
youth developmental assets, academic performance, Ethiopia, middle school students, empowerment.