Academic Self-concept Research Articles

Exploring Influential Factors Shaping Students' Academic Self-Concept: A Systematic Literature Review

Exploring Influential Factors Shaping Students' Academic Self-Concept: A Systematic Literature Review

Being a big fish in a little pond: student group composition, perceived academic standing, and young people’s academic self-concept

Upper secondary school students with a strong academic self-concept are more likely to complete their studies and thus increase their well-being in the future. Previous research on the big-fish-little-pond-effect (BFLPE) has thoroughly established the negative contrast effect of average group academic achievement on students’ academic self-concept. Many of these studies have been criticised for assuming the underlying social comparison without testing it. Here, survey and registered data from 1,047 Icelandic adolescents are used to explore the role of social comparison in the BFLPE. Models of hierarchical regression showed that students’ ideas about their relative position within their group of students mediated the effect of group average achievement on academic self-concept. This strengthens the assumption of social comparison being the underlying factor of the BFLPE. No assimilation effect between the type of school and academic self-concept was found. Implications for educators, school authorities, and policymakers are discussed.

Self-regulated learning as an inherent factor of academic self-concept in university students

Self-regulated learning as an inherent factor of academic self-concept in university students

Student–Faculty Interaction and Academic Self-Concept: Gender as a Moderator

This study examines the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between student–faculty interaction and academic self-concept. Using data from a large public Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) in Southern California, the analysis suggests that although student–faculty interaction positively impacts academic self-concept for all students, the effect is stronger for female students. Despite these gains, a persistent gender gap remains, with female students reporting lower academic self-concept than male students. These findings emphasize the importance of tailored initiatives to improve student–faculty interaction and academic self-concept, especially for female students.

How perceived parenting qualities link to the reciprocal relationship between adolescents’ self-concept and life satisfaction

Assisting adolescents in cultivating a positive self-concept and leading fulfilling lives is paramount. Supported by longitudinal data from 512 Chinese adolescents, the researchers investigated not only the reciprocal associations between two types of self-concept—academic and physical abilities—and life satisfaction but also the roles of perceived parenting qualities in impacting these dynamics. Results revealed the following: (a) academic (but not physical ability) self-concept had a reciprocal relationship with life satisfaction; (b) perceived parental warmth (rather than autonomy support), rejection, and psychological control significantly predicted self-concept and life satisfaction and have the potential to steer adolescents into a virtuous or vicious cycle in terms of evaluating themselves and their lives. Findings offer valuable insights for fostering self-concept and life satisfaction among adolescents within the framework of parenting qualities and the cultural and social milieu of adolescent growth.

School Security and Academic Self-Concept Among Pupils in Primary Schools in Informal Settlements in Kibra Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya

This study purposed to investigate the influence of school security on the academic self-concept of pupils in primary schools in informal settlements in Kibra Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. The social cognitive theory guided this research. The study employed a survey research design. The target population comprised 138 head teachers, 203 teacher counsellors, and 9536 learners in Class VII, totaling 9877 respondents, from which a sample of 385 respondents was determined using Yamane’s formula. Questionnaires were used to collect data from learners in Class VII, as were interview guides for head teachers and teacher-counsellors. Piloting was conducted among 38 respondents from primary schools in informal settlements in Kibra sub-county to establish validity and reliability. The opinions of educational psychology professionals were used to confirm the study's validity. The split-half method was used to calculate reliability, and the reliability coefficient (r = 0.728; p<0.05) at the 0.05 level of significance revealed a high degree of internal dependability. The tests were carried out at a 0.05 level of significance. Test of the null hypothesis indicated that there was a significant statistical relationship between school security and academic self at r=0.668, p=0.001<0.05. The study concluded that levels of pupils’ academic self-concept in primary schools in informal settlements can be enhanced through provision of adequate school security. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education should ensure that primary schools have security guards and fences and should comply with standards for child-friendly school environment. The main beneficiaries of this study will be learners in the primary schools in the informal settlements when the policy makers improve the school environment hence their academic self-concept will be enhanced.

The Influence of School Curriculum Support Materials on Academic Self-Concept of Pupils in Primary Schools in Informal Settlements in Kibra Sub-County, Kenya

The Influence of School Curriculum Support Materials on Academic Self-Concept of Pupils in Primary Schools in Informal Settlements in Kibra Sub-County, Kenya

Chinese nursing students’ academic self-concept and deep learning in online courses: Does psychological capital play a moderating role?

The advent of online education has become indispensable for nursing students seeking to acquire knowledge. However, the efficacy of online education often falls short of initial expectations. Deep learning (DL) can assist learners tackle complex problems and make innovative decisions. Despite its potential, there has been limited exploration into the underlying mechanisms of DL among nursing students, both domestically and globally. This study examined the potential moderating effect of psychological capital (PC) on the association between academic self-concept (AS-c) and DL among nursing students from China enrolled in online courses. Conducted from October 2022 to January 2023, the survey involved 635 nursing students from four public universities in eastern China, utilizing convenience sampling. Data was collected using the AS-c scale, psychological capital scale, and DL scale in online courses. Correlation analyses, univariate analyses, multiple linear regression analyses, and the PROCESS macro were employed for a comprehensive examination. The results revealed a strong positive relationship between nursing students' DL and both their AS-c (r = 0.766, P < 0.01) and PC (r = 0.714, P < 0.01), respectively. Additionally, the effect of AS-c on DL was stronger among individuals with high PC (β = 0.34, SE = 0.03, P < 0.001) compared to those with low (β = 0.29, SE = 0.02, P < 0.001) or medium (β = 0.24, SE = 0.02, P < 0.001) levels of PC, indicating that PC exerts moderating effects and promotes DL among nursing students enrolled in online courses. Based on these findings, several implications are suggested for the theory and practice of facilitating DL.

Self-Concept in Relation Sports Amotivation among Learners in Davao Central District, Davao City

The current study delves into exploring the influence of self-concept on the sports motivation of learners. In this study, the researcher selected the 192 elementary school learners in Davao Central District, Davao City as the respondents of the study. Stratified random sampling technique was utilized in the selection of the respondents. Non-experimental quantitative research design using descriptive-correlational method was employed. The data collected were subjected on the following statistical tools: Mean, Pearson Moment Product Correlation and multiple linear regression analysis. Findings revealed that self-concept and sports motivation of learners in Davao Central District in Davao City were described as extensive. Further, correlation analysis demonstrated that there is a significant relationship between self-concept and sports motivation of learners in Davao Central District in Davao City. Evidently, regression analysis proved that self-concept in terms of academic self-concept, emotional self-concept, family self-concept, and physical self-concept were significant predictors of sports motivation of learners in Davao Central District in Davao City. In other words, self-concept has influence on the process in sports motivation of learners in Davao Central District in Davao City.

Egalitarian gender role attitudes give girls the edge: Exploring the role of students’ gender role attitudes in reading and math

Gender differences in reading and math have been reported for many years. Girls outperform boys in reading (representing a school domain stereotyped as female); boys often perform slightly better in math (a stereotypical male domain). Research has so far investigated the contribution of domain-specific academic self-concepts and interests as well as gender stereotypes to these gender differences. Students’ gender role attitudes (GRAs) and their relation with gender disparities in school performance, however, have been studied little. This study examines if students’ GRAs contribute to explaining boys’ higher math achievement and girls’ higher reading achievement. Using PISA-2009 data from Germany, the sample included 9,460 grade nine students (49.70% girls; Mage = 15.61 years). Regression analyses revealed that egalitarian GRAs are beneficial for all students. Still more so for girls, egalitarian GRAs help girls perform particularly well in reading and compensate for possible disadvantages in math. In reading, girls with egalitarian GRAs reached higher performance scores than boys with egalitarian GRAs. In math, girls with egalitarian GRAs scored nearly as high as boys with egalitarian GRAs. Boys also benefited from egalitarian GRAs, although not as much as girls. Although gender disparities in reading and math achievement were explained only partly by students’ GRAs, supporting boys and girls in endorsing egalitarian GRAs is worthwhile as they may help to increase societal gender equality more broadly.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Self-Esteem and Body Image Satisfaction among Primary School Teachers in Sonitpur, Assam

Background: Body image is a multidimensional dynamic construct that involves internal biological and psychological factors as well as external cultural and social determinants. Body image concerns are connected with total poor self-concept in early adolescents, including poor physical, social, and academic self-concepts as well as low overall self-esteem (SE). Objective: The present study aims to examine the SE and body image satisfaction among primary school teachers in Sonitpur, Assam. Materials and Methods: The study was cross-sectional in nature. A total of 60 primary school teachers who were above 18 years of age were selected from 12 schools randomly and were included in the study. Data collection was collected with the help of the following tools: sociodemographic datasheet, Rosenberg SE Scale, Body Shape Questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items by investigators from February 2022 to July 2022 in Sonitpur province, Assam. Descriptive statistics were used to determine categorical variables, and analysis was carried out by computing percentages and the Chi-square test. Results: The results of the present study revealed that 15.0% of the respondents showed mild-to-moderate stress, 30.0% had mild-to-severe anxiety, and 1.7% had mild depression. A significant negative correlation was found between SE and stress (r = −0.421, P &lt; 0.01) and SE and anxiety (r = −0.433, P &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between body shape (BS) and weight (r = 0.590, P &lt; 0.05), BS and stress (r = 0.355, P &lt; 0.01), and BS and anxiety (r = 0.333, P &lt; 0.01). Conclusion: People with lower SE are progressively likely to report dissatisfied with their body size or shape and irrespective of age or gender. Since body image represents a large part of a person’s self-concept, it is unsurprising that SE and body dissatisfaction are related.

Coding Decoded: Exploring Course Achievement and Gender Disparities in an Online Flipped Classroom Programming Course

In introductory programming courses (IPCs), students encounter various difficulties that are related to low achievement and high dropout and failure rates. Technology-rich approaches that promote self-directed learning while facilitating competency development and knowledge construction through social collaboration may offer advantages in this context. The current study assesses such an instructional approach by (1) identifying antecedents and process variables related to course achievement in an online flipped classroom IPC and (2) testing for gender differences regarding antecedents, process variables, and course achievement. In the winter semester of 2020/21, a sample of 144 Austrian university students participated in a survey with measurements at different points in time. Multiple linear regression was carried out to explore factors related to course achievement. The results indicate that gender, achievement-avoidance goals, academic self-concept, engagement in asynchronous learning, and course satisfaction were positively related to achievement. In contrast, work avoidance was identified as a barrier to achievement. Additionally, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed to test gender differences. MANOVA revealed significant gender differences regarding learning goals, mathematical self-concept, work avoidance, and engagement in synchronous learning. There were no gender differences regarding course satisfaction or achievement. The study has implications for designing innovative programming courses that could foster course satisfaction and achievement and thus reduce dropout and failure rates.

Effect of Emotional Intelligence and Self-concept on Academic Performance: A Systematic Review of Cross-Cultural Research

The current study explores the role of emotional intelligence and self-concept in construction of academic performance between students over different countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate that which method or instruments are used to collect and analyze the data also age range of the samples. Further, in this research we also analyzed the nature of constructs. Systematic review on 15 studies is included. This review has analyzed how relationship between emotional intelligence, academic performance and self-concept is measured, which research designs are used and what is concluded from these studies. Findings have revealed that in most studies self-concept and emotional intelligence is used as independent variable whereas academic performance is used as dependent variable. Mostly MSCIT, TMMS-24 and Self-concept scale were used in studies. Quantitative research design was employed in most of studies. The studies revealed that emotional intelligence and self-concept has a great influence on academic performance of students. Females have better academic self-concept and emotional intelligence (EI) as compared to males. But males show more emotional clarity and repair as compared to women. Improving self-concept and EI, academic stress in students can be modified. By enhancing academic performance, self- concept can also be enhanced. Moreover, self-concept of students is also influenced by any type of disabilities such as motor disability or giftedness. As the students with such disabilities show unique performance in academics. This research is beneficial for understanding the effect of emotional intelligence and self-concept on academic performance.

Exploring the effect of online learners’ academic self-concepts on student engagement

The present study intends to evaluate the degree to which online university students’ academic self-perceptions predict variations in student engagement. The relational screening method was employed in this research. Data were collected from a total of 653 university students, 113 male and 539 female. The Student Engagement Scale (SES) and the Matovu Academic Self-concept Scale (ASCS) were utilised. Stepwise regression data analyses were conducted. Based on the results that the study yielded, it was observed that ASC had a high level of impact on student engagement, the levels of which varied across different factors of engagement. Academic effort and academic confidence variables accounted for 44% of the variance in behavioural engagement and showed a high positive relationship, while accounting for 33% of cognitive engagement with a moderate level of positive relationship. However, only academic effort was found to have a relationship with affective engagement, which was at a moderate level, accounting for 17% of the variance. Academic effort is relation with all student engagement factors. However, while academic confidence is only relation with behavioural and cognitive engagement, it is not relation with affective engagement. As a result, positively influencing student engagement in online learning environments will lead to positive changes in students' academic self-concept.

“I must make the grade!”: the role of cognitive appraisals, irrational beliefs, exam anxiety, and affect, in the academic self-concept of undergraduate students

ABSTRACT Background and objectives Examination anxiety is a common occurrence, and is potentially detrimental to student attainment. In recent theorizing, it has been suggested that cognitive appraisals, as put forth in cognitive appraisal theory, and irrational beliefs, as put forth in rational emotive behavior therapy, may interact to predict affectivity. The current research examines the antecedents and associates of examination affect and academic self-concept in undergraduate students. Design A preliminary study applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the factor structure of an irrational beliefs inventory. Study 1 utilized a cross-sectional and correlational approach to testing core theoretical assumptions. Study 2 took a two-wave longitudinal and path analytical approach to examine temporal effects between target variables. Method All self-report data collection took place in the United Kingdom with university students. We recruited n = 1150, n = 362, n = 662 for preliminary, study 1, and study 2, respectively. Results Across studies, data indicated that a pattern of adaptive cognitive appraisal was associated with more advantageous affectivity, and better academic self-concept. Conclusions Reciprocal temporal relationships were revealed between many variables, supporting an interactive and bidirectional view of how cognition and affect are related pertaining to examination anxiety.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese perceptions of inclusion questionnaire teacher version for pupils with intellectual and developmental disabilities in inclusive classrooms

Objectives Emotional well-being, social inclusion, and academic self-concept are considered important factors for students’ successful inclusion in school. The Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ) is a short and well-structured tool for measuring these factors, and was successfully validated in some countries. However, the Chinese PIQ teacher version has not yet been verified. This study investigates the psychometric properties of the Chinese PIQ teacher version for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Methods A total of 374 teachers of students with IDD in grades 1 to 6 from inclusive primary schools in China were recruited. The study examines this questionnaire’s factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and measurement invariance across genders, grades, and disability levels. Results The study confirmed the three-factor structure of the Chinese PIQ teacher version for students with IDD. The tool also showed good internal consistency and passed measurement invariance tests for gender, grade, and disability level. Conclusions The Chinese PIQ teacher version is reliable and valid, and shows strict measurement invariance across genders, grades, and disability levels in students with IDD. And it can be used to compare means across genders, grades, disability levels.

Cracking Chicken-Egg Conundrums: Juxtaposing Contemporaneous and Lagged Reciprocal Effects Models of Academic Self-Concept and Achievement’s Directional Ordering

Multi-wave-cross-lagged-panel models (CLPMs) of directional ordering are a focus of much controversy in educational psychology and more generally. Extending traditional analyses, methodologists have recently argued for including random intercepts and lag2 effects between non-adjacent waves and giving more attention to controlling covariates. However, the related issues of appropriate time intervals between waves (lag1 intervals across waves) and the possibility of contemporaneous (lag0) effects within each wave are largely unresolved. Although philosophers, theologians, and scientists widely debate sequential (lagged) and simultaneous (lag0) theories of causality, CLPM researchers have mostly ignored contemporaneous effects, arguing causes must precede effects. In a substantive-methodological synergy, we integrated these issues and designed new structural equation models to reanalyze one of the strongest CLPM studies of academic self-concept (ASC) and achievement (five annuals of mathematics data; 3527 secondary school students). A taxonomy of models incorporating various combinations of lag0, lag1, and lag2 effects, random intercepts, and covariates consistently supported a priori reciprocal effect model (REM) predictions—medium or large reciprocal effects of ASC and achievement on each other. Consistent with self-concept theory, effects of ASC on achievement evolved over time (lag1, not lag0 effects), whereas effects of achievement on ASC effects were more contemporaneous (lag0, not lag1 effects). We argue that lag0 effects reflect proximal events occurring subsequent to the previous data wave, suggesting the need for shorter intervals but also leaving open the possibility of contemporaneous effects that are truly instantaneous. We discuss limitations and future directions but also note the broad applicability of our statistical models.

How does basic psychological needs satisfaction contribute to EFL learners’ achievement and positive emotions? The mediating role of L2 self-concept

Based on an integrated framework of the self-determination theory and the control-value theory of achievement emotions, the current study investigated the impact of basic psychological needs (BPN) satisfaction on two types of educational outcomes, i.e., academic achievement and positive emotions in second language (L2) acquisition. This study also explored whether academic self-concept (L2 self-concept in this case) would mediate the effects of BPN satisfaction on L2 achievement and emotions. A total of 391 Chinese undergraduates studying English as a foreign language were recruited for the present study. They completed measures on basic psychological needs satisfaction, L2 self-concept (English self-concept in this case), English achievement, and positive academic emotions (i.e., enjoyment, pride, and hope). After controlling for demographics, structural equation modeling indicated that BPN satisfaction was positively associated with positive emotions and this association was partially mediated by English self-concept. More importantly, English self-concept fully mediated the positive impact of basic psychological needs satisfaction on English achievement. Our findings acknowledged BPN satisfaction as a contributor to desirable learning outcomes and highlighted the important role of L2 self-concept in second language acquisition. Satisfying students’ basic psychological needs and particularly maximizing their L2 self-concept have significant pedagogical implications for second language education.

Does Gender Composition in a Field of Study Matter? Gender Disparities in College Students’ Academic Self-Concepts

Gendered field-of-study choice is a lively topic of discussion. The explanation usually given for the fact that women are still an exception in typically ‘male’ fields—particularly STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)—employs domain-specific stereotypes regarding men’s and women’s ‘natural’ abilities in different fields. The central argument of our study is that domain-specific gender stereotypes help explain why few women enter such fields; however, they are not necessarily the driving forces behind the finding that female students who chose typically male subjects have weaker academic self-concepts than their male peers. If it were only domain-specific gender stereotypes that influence students’ perceptions of their abilities, we should find the opposite result in typically female fields of study and no differences in gender-mixed fields. Because existing studies often focus on the male-dominated STEM domain alone, research may have drawn the wrong conclusions. By comparing students in male-dominated, female-dominated, and gender-mixed fields of study, we ask: Does gender composition in the field of study matter for gender disparities in college (university) students’ academic self-concepts? Using data from 10,425 students in the German National Educational Panel Study, our results suggest that it is not only in male-dominated fields of study that women rate their own abilities to be poorer than men rate theirs; the same is true in female-dominated and gender-mixed fields. Therefore, domain-specific gender stereotypes regarding students’ abilities do not (alone) seem to drive gender disparities in STEM students’ perception of their own abilities. No matter what academic field we consider, female students generally exhibit weaker academic self-concepts; however, the gap is most pronounced in male-dominated fields.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish student version of Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ-Spa) in a sample of adolescents

ABSTRACT The Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ) assesses the perceptions of inclusion in 3rd to 9th grade students through three scales: social inclusion, emotional inclusion, and academic self-concept. This study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the instrument (PIQ-Spa) since no prior formal validation of the PIQ-Spa has been conducted. One thousand Spanish adolescents (12 to 16 years, M = 14, SD = 1.41) participated. The analytical process involved four phases. The initial phase employed confirmatory factor analysis to compare one-factor and three-factor models. Subsequent phases assessed the reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity of the instrument. The model with three correlated factors obtained the best indices of overall fit. Convergent validity was supported by significant factor loadings and average extracted variances (AVE) exceeding 0.5 for all factors. Discriminant validity was supported by confidence interval tests, HTMT ratios, and average extracted variances exceeding the squared correlations between factor pairs. These findings offer robust support for the PIQ-Spa’s validity and reliability in assessing Spanish adolescents’ perceptions of inclusion. Within the Spanish educational landscape, the PIQ-Spa can equip educators with a deeper understanding of student perceptions, enabling them to identify areas for improvement in fostering inclusive school environments.