Measures Of Academic Self-concept Research Articles

The structure of academic self-concept: The Marsh/Shavelson model.

New academic self-concept instruments were used to measure self-concepts in 13 (Grades 5-6) or 16 (Grades 7-10) school subjects and to test the structure of academic self-concept posited in the Marsh/Shavelson model. First-order factor analyses identified the scales each instrument was designed to measure, demonstrating that academic self-concept is remarkably subject-specific. As posited, two higher order factors were sufficient to explain relations among core academic subjects, but additional higher order factors were needed to explain other school subjects (e.g., physical education, art, and music). The hierarchy, however, was weak, and much of the variance in specific subject self-concepts was unexplained by the higher order factors. Researchers interested in self-concepts in particular subjects are advised to use self-concept scales specific to those subject areas in addition, perhaps, to other measures of academic self-concept. Prior to the 1980s, reviewers of self-concept research noted a lack of theoretical models and appropriate measurement instruments. In an attempt to address this situation, Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton (1976) reviewed existing theory, research, and instruments and developed a multifaceted, hierarchical model of self-concept. In their model a general facet at the apex of the self-concept hierarchy is divided into academic and nonacademic components of self-concept. Academic self-concept is then divided into self-concepts in particular subject areas (e.g., mathematics, English), and nonacademic self-concept is divided into social, emotional, and physical self-concepts. The academic portion of the Shavelson et al. model, which is the focus of this study, is shown in Panel A of Figure 1. The self-concept facets and the structure proposed by Shavelson et al. were heuristic and plausible, but they were not validated by research in their review. Commenting on this problem, Byrne (1984) noted that consider this inability to attain discriminant validity among the dimensions of SC [self-concept] to be one of the major complexities facing SC researchers today (pp. 449-450). In contrast, more recent research based on better theoretical models and measurement instruments supports the multidimensionality of self-concept and many aspects of the Shavelson et al. model (e.g., Boersma & Chapman, 1979; Byrne, 1984; Dusek & Flaherty, 1981; Fleming & Courtney, 1984; Halter, 1982; Marsh, 1988, in press-a; Marsh, Byrne, & Shavelson, 1988; 1982; Soares & Soares, 1982).

Measurement of Academic Self-Concept in College Students

The construct validity of the Academic Self-Concept Scale (Reynolds, in press) as a measure of an academic facet of general self-concept in college students was examined. Subjects were 589 undergraduate students from three colleges. Convergent validity was demonstrated in the form of correlations between the academic self-concept measure and subjects' grade point average (GPA), and scores on measures of general self-concept and locus of control. A multiple regression analysis of the Academic Self-Concept Scale produced a multiple correlation of .59 with GPA and general self-concept. Discriminant validity was shown via low correlations between academic self-concept and measures of mental ability and social desirability. As expected, differences in academic self-concept between year levels in college were also found. Factor analysis of the Academic Self-Concept Scale and subsequent oblique rotation resulted in seven interpretable factors. The results of this investigation lend support for the construct vali...

The Construct and Concurrent Validity of a Measure of Academic Self-Concept and One of Locus of Control for a Sample of University Students

For a sample 239 undergraduate university students (135 males and 104 females) a factor analysis of the intercorrelations of 20 4-item subtests of the 5 scales (4 subtests per scale) of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC), Form H, an academic self-concept measure, and of 6 subtests from the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (IAR), a locus of control measure, revealed 5 distinct factors that correspond to the 5 a priori dimensions afforded by the DOSC but only one factor for the IAR. With respect to 3 self-report measures of academic achievement, the Level of Aspiration scale of the DOSC yielded the only 2 validity coefficients in excess of .30. It was concluded that (a) the DOSC reflects 5 distinct factor dimensions consistent with a theory of academic self-concept proposed by Michael and Smith (1976) and (b) the IAR is a unidimensional measure quite independent of the DOSC.

The Long-Term Predictive Validity of an Academic Self-Concept Measure Relative to Criteria of Secondary School Grades Earned over Eleven Semesters

In a longitudinal investigation spanning approximately five years with an initial sample of 240 junior high school students, the subscales of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) revealed declining predictive validity coefficients relative to criteria of secondary school grades. Nevertheless, the Level of Aspiration subscale consistently exhibited significant predictive validities of student success during each of four time segments. During the four temporal periods investigated the median validity coefficients of the Level of Aspiration subscale from the first to the last were .49, .46, .42, and .37—all values being significant beyond the .01 level.

The Construct Validity of an Exploratory Academic Self-Concept Subscale Derived from the Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale

Evidence is sought concerning the construct validity of a 17-item exploratory academic self-concept subscale derived from the Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale in terms of its empirical factor structure and its correlation with a multifactor academic self-concept measure and with a unidimensional general academic self-concept instrument. In this 17-item subscale three identifiable factor dimensions were defined as Anxiety, Confidence in Academic Ability, and Perceived Ineptness-Alienation. Five of the six correlations of the exploratory subscale with other measures of academic self-concept were statistically significant beyond the .01 level. An internal-consistency estimate of reliability (coefficient alpha) of .55 was obtained for the experimental subscale. It was concluded that despite the demonstration of a modest level of construct validity this exploratory subscale should be used only for research purposes pending the rewriting and/or elimination of several items with unusually low communalities.

The Construct and Concurrent Validity of Two College-Level Academic Self-Concept Scales for a Sample of Primarily Hispanic Community College Students

The scores of a community college sample of 202 students (102 females and 100 males) primarily of Hispanic background provided the means for determining (a) the correlations of each of five factor subscales of a research form of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) measure derived from a psychological theory of academic self-concept with the Total Score of the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) intended to measure general academic self-concept and (b) the empirical factor structure of each instrument. It was concluded that the DOSC is a multidimensional academic self-concept measure whereas the ASCS is essentially unidimensional and therefore that the two measures reflect not altogether similar constructs. The Level of Aspiration subscale shows considerable promise as a potentially valid predictor of college achievement, as it exhibited among all five DOSC subscales the highest degree of concurrent validity with self-report measures of academic success.

The Predictive Validity of Subscales of an Academic Self-Concept Measure Administered Nine Semesters Prior to Acquisition of Criterion Data Reflecting School Achievement

In a longitudinal investigation with an initial sample of 179 seventh grade students (90 girls and 89 boys) on whom data were collected at the end of the first three semesters, at the termination of the next four semesters (N = 147), and at the conclusion of the following two semesters (N = 141), predictive validity coefficients of five subscales of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC), Form S were ascertained relative to total grade point average (GPA) and to the GPA earned in each of several academic subjects during each of three periods of enrollment. Although not showing quite so high validity coefficients as those realized for subtests from a standardized achievement test battery, four of the five DOSC subscales afforded promising predictive validities-especially the one entitled Level of Aspiration. Additional validity data for the DOSC in relation to the last two semesters of high school work (twelfth grade) will be reported in the near future.

The Factorial Validity of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) Measure for a Sample of Eighth-Grade Children and for One of Community College Adults

In this investigation attention was directed toward whether the five hypothesized constructs of Level of Aspiration, Anxiety, Academic Interest and Satisfaction, Leadership and Initiative, and Identification vs. Alienation that have been translated into five subscales of a secondary school version (Form S) of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) scale, a measure of academic self-concept, could be identified for a college sample of adults as well as for a sample of eighth-grade students. Factor analyses of the intercorrelations of the same 20 subtests of the DOSC (four subtests of three to four items per factor subscale) revealed a relatively high degree of factorial invariance (congruence) across the two samples. It was concluded that the DOSC measured essentially the same constructs for the two samples and that it showed at least limited promise as a valid indicator of the hypothesized dimensions of academic self-concept for college-level students.

The Development and Validation of a Preliminary Research Form of an Academic Self-Concept Measure for College Students

The development and construct validation of a preliminary research form of an academic self-concept measure for college students are described. Entitled Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC), Form H, this instrument has been anchored to a theoretical framework comprising five constructs, for each of which a factor subscale constitutes an operational definition. The statistical data arising from administration of both an initial form and a preliminary research form are reviewed. The 25-item subscales in the initial form afforded reliability (coefficient alpha) estimates varying between .85 and .90; the 20-item subscales of the preliminary research form furnished parallel estimates of reliability ranging from .83 to .91. It was concluded that this second form shows promising construct validity, as evidenced by the fact that the five constructs within the theoretical framework when translated into five subscales received substantial empirical support in terms of the factor structure realized. The psychometric data for a third shortened form with 16 items per subscale will be reported in the near future.

Investigating Measures of Self-Concept

As a basis for determining critically needed reliability and validity data, two measures of general self-concept and two measures of academic self-concept were administered to high school students ...

Comparative Validities of Standardized Academic Self-Concept Scales and Achievement Test Measures and of Teacher Ratings of Citizenship and Effort in Forecasting Performance of Junior High School Students

For a sample of 240 junior high school (eighth-grade) students (128 boys and 112 girls) from a suburban middle-class community in Orange County, California, criterion-related validities of each of the five scales of the academic self-concept measure Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC), of each of six achievement subtests from the SRA Assessment Survey, and of two teacher ratings pertaining to student citizenship and student effort were found relative to (a) three criterion measures representing grade point average (GPA) earned during three semesters in all subjects, in English, and in Mathematics and (b) scores received on four district-prepared proficiency examinations in Mathematics, Reading, English, and Social Science. In addition to zero-order correlations between each predictor variable and each criterion measure, multiple regression analyses were completed between each of the three GPA indices and sets of predictors associated with the five DOSC scales, six SRA Assessment Survey subtests, and the two teacher ratings. In conjunction with the fact that nearly all validity coefficients were statistically significant, differential patterns of association did occur as evidenced by the following conclusions: (1) measures of a multidimensional academic self-concept construct appear to be more closely related to GPA indicators of academic success than to scores afforded by district-developed proficiency examinations; (2) standardized achievement tests in comparison with academic self-concept scales are more predictive of school performance whether evaluated by teacher grades or objective proficiency examinations designed to portray school district objectives; and (3) teacher ratings of student effort are more predictive of grades that teachers assign than are scores either on standardized achievement tests or on self-concept scales, but are generally less predictive of performance on proficiency tests in basic skills than are the standardized achievement tests of comparable abilities.

Initial Development and Validation of the Academic Self-Concept Scale

The Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) was developed as a measure of an academic facet of general self-concept in college stu dents. The initial item pool consisted of 59 items worded to conform to a 4-point Likert-type response format. On the basis of responses from 427 college students, the final form of the ASCS was con structed consisting of 40 items with an estimated internal con sistency reliability of .91. Validity was established by correlating the ASCS with grade point averages (GPAs) of students and with their scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. A multiple regression analysis of the ASCS with GPA and Rosenberg scores as predictor variables resulted in a multiple correlation of .64. These and other data lend support to the reliability and validity of the ASCS as a measure of academic self-concept.

The Short-Term Predictive Validity of a Standardized Reading Test and of Scales Reflecting Six Dimensions of Academic Self- Concept Relative To Selected High School Achievement Criteria for Four Ethnic Groups

For a total sample of 548 eleventh grade students (274 males and 274 females) in a completely integrated high school in a middle-class suburban neighborhood as well as for each of four subsamples from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds (292 Anglos, 28 Asians, 38 blacks, and 190 Latinos), intercorrelations were found among eight predictor variables (sex, a standardized reading test, and six aca demic self-concept measures) and four criterion measures (History grade, English grade, Science/Mathematics grade, and High School grade point average represented by a composite of the three course grades). Stepwise multiple regression analyses were completed for each sample with the High School grade point average serving as a dependent variable and with seven predictor variables (sex being ex cluded). Three major conclusions were reached: (1) With the pos sible exception of Asians, a standardized reading test can be ex pected to be a more valid predictor of academic success than can be an academic self-concept measure. (2) Irrespective of ethnicity two constructs reflecting (a) level of aspiration and (b) academic interest and satisfaction afford promise as valid predictors of school achieve ment. (3) An optimally weighted combination of a cognitive mea sure (a reading test) and one or more affective measures portraying

The Relative Importance of Teachers and Parents in the Formation of Negro and White Students’ Academic Self-Concept

This study compared the relative importance of parents and teachers in the formation of Negro and white students’ academic self-concept. Measures of academic self-concept and perceived parents’ and teachers’ evaluations of academic ability were administered to 165 white tenth graders, 166 Negro eleventh and twelfth graders, and 133 Negro ninth graders. For white students, parents’ perceived evaluation was found to be slightly more strongly related to students’ academic self-concept than teachers’ perceived evaluation. For black students, it was the teachers’ perceived evaluation that was more strongly related to the student’s academic self-concept, although the difference reached significance only for females. These results suggest the special importance of the teacher in the formation of the Negro student’s concept of his academic potential.

The Concurrent and Predictive Validity of an Objective Measure of Academic Self-Concept

The Concurrent and Predictive Validity of an Objective Measure of Academic Self-Concept

The dimensions of an objective measure of academic self-concept.

The dimensions of an objective measure of academic self-concept.