Diminishing Returns to Psychological Resources in the Attainment Process? A Study of Educational Plans Across Generations.

Self-esteem and self-efficacy in the status attainment process and the multigenerational transmission of advantage

This research investigates the social reproduction of inequality by drawing on prospective longitudinal data from three generations of Youth Development Study respondents. It examines intergenerational influence on the relatively unexplored academic self-concept as well as educational plans, a critical component of the status attainment model. A structural equation model, based on 422 3-generation triads, finds evidence that the sources giving rise to the development of children's (Generation 3) achievement orientations do not only result from parental (G2) contemporaneous influence. Prior influences implicate grandparent (G1) educational attainment and income, grandparental expectations for the G2 adolescent, the G2 academic self-concept and educational plans measured more than twenty years earlier (in G2's adolescence), and G2 educational attainment. A familial culture emphasizing academic self-confidence and high educational expectations may be an important component of "family capital" that supports educational attainment and contributes to the maintenance of social class position in each successive generation.

Goal: There is considerable significance of academic self-concepts in the educational context and in personal growth and while much research has been devoted to the factors affecting their development, and gender is posited as an important factor. The purpose of this study was to examine the academic self-concepts of Hongkong adolescent high school students. The objectives and research questions were to explore Maths and English Academic self-concepts and happiness, regarding 1. Is gender associated with student’s English and Math’s academic self-concept? 2. Do adolescent boys and girls have different Math and English ASC? 3. Is there any association between academic self-concept and well-being? Method: The study adopted a cross-sectional study design with convenient sampling using phone calls and emails. For data collection, the two scales used were – 1. The Academic Self-Description Questionnaire II (ASDQ-II) to index Maths and English academic self-concept by Marsh in 1990. 2. The subjective happiness Scale by designed by Lyubomirsky and Lepper in 1990. Result: A total of 47 student participants, a mix of girls and boys were surveyed. The sample reported an average age of 13 (SD=.351); and most of the respondents are female (61.7%). The study involved one independent variable which is gender (n=47, mean=1.62, std. deviation=.491). The three dependent variables were as follows- English ASC (n=47, mean=33.6, std. deviation=.491), Maths ASC (n=47, mean=33.57, std. deviation=7.1 and happiness self-concept (n=46, mean=19.6, std. deviation=4.62. There were two significant findings -1. Gender is negatively correlated with Maths ASC. 2. Happiness is significantly correlated with English. Conclusion: The findings of this study were revealing that the boys are more likely to report a higher level of Maths academic self-concept, while English academic self-concept is not related to gender. Also, happiness among students is positively correlated with high English Self-Concept. The results supported the notion that gender is correlated with academic self-concept. The study also supported the notions that academic self-concept influences happiness, as English academic self-concept was found to be positively correlated with happiness. The results have been strongly argued to confidently pave way for conclusive direction for future research.

Little research has investigated the impact of adolescent motivational resources, other than educational plans, on adult educational attainment, or whether their effects differ by gender and social class. Data from the St. Paul Youth Development Study (n = 874, 55% female, 30% children of college graduates) are used to estimate a second-order latent motivation factor encompassing adolescent (age 15-16) educational plans, academic self-concept, economic self-efficacy, and mastery. Then, using logistic regression, the effect of this second-order factor on odds of college graduation in adulthood (ages 26-27 to 37-38) is estimated. Heterogenous effects of motivation by gender and parental education are investigated. The results show that the second-order motivation factor had strong positive effects on educational attainment after adjusting for family background variables. The effect of motivation did not differ by gender in the whole sample nor among children of college graduates. However, among children of less-educated parents, women were found to benefit more than men from these psychological assets for achieving upward educational mobility. These findings suggest that adolescent motivation, especially among U.S. women whose parents do not have college degrees, may be a resource for higher educational attainment.

Achievement goal orientation and academic self-concept to be considered as adaptive learning behaviours have been a debated in educational psychology research. The study aimed to examine achievement goal orientation, and academic self-concept as predictors of secondary school students’ academic achievement in Mathematics in Anambra State. Four research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted predictive correlational research to provide answers to the research questions and testing of the hypotheses. The population of the study comprised 21204 from which a sample of 750 was drawn. Multi-stage procedure was used to select the sample. Standardized research instruments namely; Achievement Goal Orientation Questionnaire (AGOQ) and Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ) were used for data collection. Students’ Mathematics Achievement Scores (SMAS) from the state-wide promotion examination were used to represent mathematics achievement. Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the reliability of the items in the instruments. A reliability index of 0.84, 0.72, 0.86, 0.74 and 0.87, for mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance and academic self-concept respectively. The standard multiple regression was used to analyze the collected data. The research question 1 was answered using multiple regression. Research question 2 was answered using unstandardized β. Research question 3 was answered using adjusted R2. Research question 4 was answered using standardized β. The null hypothesis 1 was tested using the Ftest for the regression model. The null hypothesis 2 was tested using a t-test for adjusted R2. The null hypothesis 3 was tested using a t-test for β at a .05 level of significance. Findings showed that students’ achievement goal orientation and academic self-concept scores jointly predicted their academic achievement scores in mathematics. It was indicated that mastery avoidance, and work avoidance, relatively and significantly predicted academic achievement in mathematics, while mastery-approach, performance approach, performance avoidance and academic self-concept do not relatively and significantly predict academic achievement in mathematics. Finally, it was recommended that students should adopt achievement goal orientation and academic self-concept in their learning process since the variable had jointly predicted achievement scores in mathematics.

It is generally recognised that planning of education, and especially of higher education, is a complex and often imperfect exercise the very vulnerability of which prompts an enquiry into its basic rationale. Behind the planning of higher education lies, first of all, the cost factor. Although in comparison to primary or secondary education the 'higher' sector is smaller in absolute terms (enrolments, institutions, staff numbers, etc.), it is much more costly when viewed on a 'per student' or 'per teacher' basis. When the free-market economy Western European nations are examined alongside the centrally planned Eastern European countries inspired by the Marxist-Leninist political doctrine, it is in fact possible to observe a similar pattern of expenditure growth throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, even though rates are slightly lower in the East (Cerych et al., 1981). And the force of this cost factor has been further fueled by the drive towards greater accountability and efficiency characteristic of the first half of the 1 980s. The second incentive to planning in higher education is in the szze of its institutions. Many of these are large-scale concerns often bringing together over 10,000 people, whether as students or staff, in a single establishment bound to the commitment of considerable resources over a long period. Here, clearly, there is a strong case for an initial plan which, almost regardless of whether higher education is dependent on State funding, often has to be formulated before any allocation or even discussion of such funding can occur. This point applies with special force, moreover, when institutions are forced to operate in a climate of austerity, as in recent years, rather than with an eye to expansion and growth. Considered by many to be especially important as a further argument for planning is a third element, namely the present-day rate of social and technological change which, it is claimed, has increased the importance of the aims and operation of higher education as a factor in social development, and thus the need for a more rational programming of its activity, investment and expenditure. The foregoing introductory considerations are invariably woven into the pattern of concerns governing ongoing relations between higher education and the polity, particularly where system-level problems are at issue. At this level, since the 1960s, the

Academic self-concept is important for secondary school students’ personal adjustment and for the influence it has on other desired educational outcomes. This study investigated the effects of modelling technique in enhancing low academic self-concept of senior secondary school students in Onitsha education zone. One research question guided the study, while two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The design for the study is quasi-experimental, non-randomised pre-test and post-test, control group research. The target population of this study was 988 senior secondary school students having low academic self-concept in Onitsha education zone. A sample size of 108 students was selected using purposive sampling technique. A validated instrument for data collection was Academic Self-concept Survey (ASS). The internal consistency reliability coefficient for the instrument is 0.84. Data was collected through direct delivery of the instrument to the respondents. Mean scores were used to answer the research question, while the null hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Co-variance (ANCOVA). The instrument norm 72.50 guided the decision. The finding of the study revealed that Modelling technique enhanced the academic self-concept of the secondary school students, but the effect was not significant when compared with those who received conventional counselling; the findings further revealed that the difference in the effect of Modelling technique on male and female secondary school students’ Academic self-concepts is not significant. Based on the findings and implications of the study, it was recommended that the practicing counsellors and therapist should make use of the modelling in combination with other effective techniques in administering counselling and therapy of secondary school students to modify and enhance their academic self-concept. Article visualizations:

In recent years, studies have put emphasis on school not only as an institution for academic achievement but also as an environment for social-emotional development, learning and shaping students’ attitudes and beliefs. There are studies that show the correlation between the environment and development of a child’s self-concept, as well as the correlation between self-concept and school anxiety. The studies have discovered very strong relationship between school success factors such as enjoyment, engagement and achievement and the school’s climate. However, there are many unknown answers to the question how significant the role of school is in shaping child’s awareness of self, self-confidence, self-concept, self-efficacy and self-esteem. The purpose of this study is, first, to analyse different studies on the impact of school on students’ self-concept, academic self-concept and self-efficacy and, second, to identify school factors that influence students’ self-concept from the PIRLS 2016 study. The research question is as follows: which school level factors influence students’ academic self-concept? Authors of this article used linear regression, correlation and frequency analysis of the International Association’s for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 data from 8 countries around the Baltic Sea. The results showed that the 4th graders’ academic self-concept in reading correlated with reading achievement and engagement in reading lessons, self-concept had a negative correlation with bullying, absenteeism from school and tiredness during school day. Overall, the authors of this article found that in the PIRLS 2016 study the direct impact of school factors on students’ academic self-concept in reading is very low.

The longitudinal analysis of student performance in mathematics has consistently demonstrated a pattern of discouraging trends. This necessitated the examination of the student’s emotional intelligence along with their academic self-concept so as to determine how much they predict achievement in mathematics. In order to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence, academic self-concept, and mathematics achievement in SSI students, a correlational research design was employed. The study population consisted of 2084 SSI students. Through a multi-stage sampling technique, a sample of 330 students was selected for participation in the study. The data was collected using the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (EIQ), Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire (ASCQ), and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). These instruments were validated and trial tested to ensure their trustworthiness. Research questions 1 and 2 were addressed through linear regression analysis, while research question 3 was tackled using multiple regression. The hypotheses were all evaluated using ANOVA. The result showed that the proportion of students’ academic achievement that can be attributed to emotional intelligence was low (4.1%), while that of academic self-concept was found to be moderate (11.8%). These variables jointly accounted for 7% of the achievements of the students in mathematics. Emotional intelligence and the academic self-concept were found to be significant to the students’ mathematics achievement. Based on these findings, curriculum planners should prioritise a holistic approach to education that emphasises the integration of social and emotional development alongside academic skills. Some of the responses provided by the participants may have been presented in a way that is socially acceptable rather than truthfully. The teachers were recommended to encourage project-based learning or problem-solving activities that allow students to apply mathematical concepts to solve practical problems, fostering a sense of accomplishment and boosting self-concept. An open line of communication should also be established among teachers, students, and parents, allowing for the discussion of emotional challenges and academic progress.

Big Fish and Other School Effects on Academic Self-Concept

Whereas Glen Elder and associates' principles of the life course are usually articulated and investigated individually, they reference analytic distinctions that simplify their empirical coexistence and mutual interrelation. This article illustrates this complexity by focusing on the principle of agency and its intersections with 'linked lives' and 'time and place'. Data are drawn from the Youth Development Study (YDS), which has followed a Minnesota cohort (G2, born 1973-74) from mid-adolescence (ages 14-15) to midlife (ages 45-46). The YDS also includes G1 parents and G3 children, the latter surveyed at about the same age as their parents were when the research began. The findings indicate that multiple agentic orientations, observed in adolescence, affect adult attainments; they are shaped by the 'linked lives' of grandparents, parents and children over longer periods of time than previously recognised; and their associations with educational achievement are historically specific. Whereas the 'linked lives' of parents and adolescents are generally studied contemporaneously, the agentic orientations of parents, measured as teenagers, were found to predict the same psychological resources in their adolescent children (self-concept of ability, optimism and economic efficacy) decades later. We also found evidence that parents' occupational values continue to influence the values of their children as the children's biographies unfold. Suggesting a historic shift in the very meaning and behavioural consequences of agentic orientations, optimism and efficacy replaced educational ambition as significant predictors of academic achievement.

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT academic self-concept and academic achievement are closely related and that academic self-concept is multidimensional. Most studies on academic self-concept have been conducted with school age children and little is known about developing academic self-concept in younger children. In this study, we investigated the evolving academic self-concept of a sample of 97 four-year-old children attending four different early childhood settings across Melbourne, Australia, during the year prior to school commencement. Analysis indicated that at this age, academic self-concept remains a global construct rather than distinguishable into literacy and numeracy self-concepts, and has little connection with children's actual performance on a range of assessment measures. In addition, children overestimated their academic self-concept to a lesser degree at the end of the year than at the start of the year. Implications for early childhood education pedagogy are discussed.

The study looked into the relationship between senior secondary two (SS2) students' academic self-concept and their mathematics achievement in Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State. This study was directed by three research questions and three matching null hypotheses. A sample of 318 senior secondary two (SS2) students offering Mathematics which comprised two hundred (200) female and one hundred and eighteen (118) male SS 2 students drawn from six (6) secondary schools from a population of 1544 SS2 students offering Mathematics in Bekwarra Local Government Area, Cross River State using Taro Yamane's sample size formula and A simple random selection method was employed, namely by balloting. Two instruments were used for data collection titled; Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha (∝) method was used to determine the internal consistency of the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS). The reliability coefficient of the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) was 0.81. Kuder-Richardson 20 formula method was used to determine the reliability coefficients for the Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT). The reliability coefficients obtained was 0.91 for BAT. The research questions and all null hypotheses were answered and tested using simple linear regression at 0.05 level of significant. Results of the study revealed that: % variation in academic achievement of male students in mathematics was due to their self-concept, and that the academic achievement of male students in mathematics is not significantly correlated with their self-concept. On the other hand, 17% variation in the academic achievement of female students in mathematics was due to their self-concept, and the academic achievement of female students in mathematics is significantly correlated with their self-concept. Finally, students’ self-concept accounted for 23% variation in their academic achievement in Mathematics, and that students’ self-concept significantly relate with their academic Achievement in Mathematics in Bekwarra Local Government Area. The researcher recommended among other things, that parents should help their children have a positive self-concept in mathematics from an early age.

This study aims to investigate whether in homogeneously grouped English classes there are significant gender differences in academic self-concept. The sample comprised 90 ability-grouped EFL college freshmen. They were first assessed for their English performance by GEPT listening and reading proficiency tests at the beginning of the academic year. For this one-year study, an academic self-concept scale was administered twice, at the beginning and end of the students' first academic year, to assess students' subject-specific academic self-confidence and effort on each data-collection occasion. Statistical methods were employed to address the following research questions: (1) whether males and females significantly differ in their perceptions of academic self-confidence in English coursework, (2) whether males and females significantly differ in perceived academic effort, and (3) whether there are any significant interaction effects between gender and ability level. Results of the study indicate that female students grouped in the lower and average ability levels tended to have higher scores on perceptions of academic confidence, academic effort, and overall academic self-concept than their male counterparts over the course of the study. There were only slight differences in either aspect of academic self-concept between males and females grouped in the higher ability level. Overall and over time, only differences in academic effort were statistically significant. The interaction effects between gender and ability level were found to be non-significant.

Grounded in social structure and personality, life course, and status attainment perspectives of social psychology, the Youth Development Study has followed a cohort of teenagers from the beginning of high school through their mid-thirties. Evidence for the effective exercise of agency derives from diverse adolescent work patterns leading to outcomes that are consistent with youth's earlier goals, motivations, and resources. Thus, the socioeconomic career begins well before the completion of formal education. The YDS has revealed multiple pathways of contemporary transition to adulthood, the circumstances surrounding parental residential and financial support to their transitioning children, and the cessation of deviant behavior as adult roles are acquired. Agentic pathways during this period are significant precursors of success during subsequent economic downturn. The new YDS Second Generation Study is well poised to address the impacts of parental trajectories on the adjustment and well-being of children.