Multidimensional self-concepts: Relationships with inferred self-concepts and academic achievement

Abstract

Multiple dimensions of self-concept, inferred self-concepts based upon responses by peers and by teachers, and academic achievement measures were collected in a sample of 559 fifth grade students. Exploratory/conventional factor analyses of responses to the Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ) clearly identified the eight facets of self-concept that the instrument was designed to measure and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the factor loadings to be reasonably invariant for self-report and peers responses. Student/teacher/peer agreement was statistically significant for most self-concept dimensions, and agreement on any one dimension was relatively independent of agreement on other dimensions. Academic achievement scores (both objective test scores and teacher ratings) were significantly and positively correlated with self-concepts based upon self-reports in academic areas, butnot in nonacademic areas. However, students' own self-reports more clearly separated self-concepts in Reading and Math (r = 0.01) than did responses by peers (r = 0.52) or by teachers (r - 0.70), or the actual achievement measures (r = 0.61). The findings of this study demonstrate that the formation of self-concepts is affected by different processes than the self-concepts inferred by significant others, that academic self-concepts are affected by different processes than the academic achievements which they reflect, and that self-concept cannot be adequately understood if its multidimensionality is ignored.