Self-Efficacy and Place: Processual Analysis of the Development of Migrant Girls’ Self-Efficacy During Participatory City Tours in Duisburg, Marxloh

Girls with a migration background consistently show lower self-efficacy than their peers, a disparity that is further compounded by the stigmatisation of their neighbourhoods. Given that self-efficacy is a key determinant of educational and career trajectories, this gap carries significant long-term consequences. This study examines how the self-efficacy of girls with a migration background develops through a spatial empowering intervention, as measured by process-analytical surveys. Qualitative group interviews are conducted at three distinct project milestones to analyse collective and thematic patterns of development. The results reveal differentiated developmental patterns observable across the group: initial self-doubt and avoidance give way to increasing general and social self-efficacy, stronger collective conviction, and a shift from resignation to resilience, ultimately manifesting in collectively anchored spatial agency. Due to the small sample size and group interview format, these patterns are considered to be indicative of the potential for development of such interventions, rather than being representative of general outcomes. The findings illustrate that spatial empowering interventions can enable empowering experiences through which girls collectively renegotiate their scope of action in public spaces and strengthen their spatial agency and self-efficacy. Thus, the study contributes to current debates on participation, empowerment, and social justice in stigmatised urban spaces.