Self-concept Of Ability Research Articles

Self-concept of academic ability as a function of sex, age, and academic achievement among African adolescents.

This study examined (a) sex and age variations for scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement among 244 African adolescents attending a coeducational high school and (b) correlations between scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement by sex and age. No significant sex differences were found, but there were significant age differences on the Self-concept scores and measures of English, science, and history but not in mathematics. A significant positive correlation was found between Self-concept scores and academic achievement for boys and girls and in all age groups, but the magnitude of the correlations with achievement in mathematics was stronger among boys than among girls.

The Perception of Ability Scale for Students (PASS) in Africa and New Zealand

The present study investigates the Perception of Ability Scale for Students (PASS) which is purported to measure six academic self-concept dynamic factors evident in children. Although previous analyses of PASS among New Zealand children have suggested only Penmanship/Neatness subscale did not yield a significant effect, corresponding analyses among non-Western children have not yet been undertaken in any satisfactory manner. To this end, the present article, reports the treatment by two-way analyses of variance for the PASS on an African sample of 204 Form 2 or Grade 6 students enrolled in various elementary schools. The results suggest the scale does not appear to have a ceiling effect which prevents differentiation of normally-achieving and learning-disabled groups from those of gifted ones. The results also indicate that in comparison with normally-achieving children, the learning-disabled (LD) children are characterized by significantly more negative perceptions of ability and negative academic self-concept, along with tendencies towards learned helplessness and lower achievement expectations for future success in school. The Perception ofAbility Scale for Students is not only a new addition to the field of academic selfconcept measurement, but also a major breakthrough for assessing children's cognitive-motivational variables without the difficulties associated with self-report questionnaires. Nevertheless, the degree of variation across both studies and samples suggests that further refinement of the PASS is required in order to improve its reliability and robustness.

Capacity, inclination, and sensitivity for mathematics

The search for the determinants of mathematics performance has a long tradition in psychology, and gender-related differences in math performance and in self-concept of math ability have been underscored. Recently, researchers have argued that affective variables may indirectly influence, and thereby partially explain, math achievement. If true, affective variables may be one key to helping students overcome math limitations. However, affective information processing is not a unitary construct and instruments to measure the impact of various aspects of affective information processing on math performance are scarce. I describe studies focusing on the effect of cognitions and emotions on math performance and devote special attention to the detrimental effect of tension and discomfort and the beneficial effect of emotion control.

Gender-Related Differences in Self-Referenced Cognitions in Relation to Mathematics

In this study, a number of learner variables that are related to mathematics achievement in actual learning situations were examined. The dynamic model of the learning process as developed by Boekaerts was taken as a starting point. Both trait-like self-referenced cognitions (viz., academic self-concept of mathematics ability, goal orientation, and attribution style) and situation-specific variables were included. In a group of 8th graders (ages 11–12; N=186), marked differences between boys and girls on a mathematics test were found. These differences were parallelled by differences in both trait-like self-referenced cognitions and task-specific appraisals. It is concluded that boys experience learning situations where they are confronted with a mathematics test in a more positive way than girls do.

Race Comparisons on Need for Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Alternative to Graham’s Narrative Review

A box score review conducted by Graham (1994) concluded that no difference existed between Blacks and Whites on measures of need for achievement. A meta-analysis reported in this article using the same research base revealed reliable and complex race differences. Overall, Whites scored higher than Blacks on measures of need for achievement, but the race difference all but disappeared in studies conducted after 1970. As a possible explanation, the meta-analysis revealed that since 1970 samples of participants from various socioeconomic levels have been preferred and that such samples showed differences between races of only half the size of those shown for samples of participants of strictly lower socioeconomic status. The method of assessment and the age and education of participants also influenced outcomes of race comparisons. Finally, Graham concluded that the research showed a consistent pattern of more positive self-concept of ability among Blacks than Whites. The meta-analysis also found this effect but revealed it to be smaller (though nonsignificantly so) than the difference in need for achievement rejected by the box score. Thus, the meta-analysis found that effects are no larger in an area where Graham concluded they existed than in an area where she concluded they did not.

Multidimensional Self-concepts of Elite Athletes: How Do They Differ from the General Population?

A broad cross-section of elite athletes (n = 83) was compared to a normative sample (n = 2,436) of nonathletes on the 13 self-concept scales for the Self-Description Questionnaire III (SDQIII). On these scales athletes had substantially higher Physical Ability self-concepts than nonathletes, but did not differ on Physical Appearance self-concepts. There were smaller differences favoring athletes on social scales (Same Sex, Opposite Sex, and Parent Relationships), Global Esteem, and the total self-concept. Group differences were not statistically significant for the academic scales (Math, Verbal, Academic, and Problem Solving) and Emotional self-concept, whereas nonathletes had marginally higher Spiritual and Honesty self-concepts. Athlete/nonathlete differences varied somewhat according to gender, generally favoring women athletes. Because the pattern of group differences (e.g., large differences in Physical Ability and minimal differences in Academic self-concept scales) is reasonably similar to a priori predictions, the results provide further support for the construct validity of SDQIII responses.

The causal ordering of academic achievement and self-concept of ability during elementary school: A longitudinal study.

This article addresses the question of the causal ordering of self-concept of ability and academic achievement during elementary school. The questions were (a) Do self-concept and achievement influence each other? and (b) Does it make a difference whether achievement is assessed by marks or by tests? The sample consisted of 697 students from 54 German elementary school classes. The design of the study allowed 3 measurement waves from Grade 2 to Grade 4. Mathematics achievement was measured both by marks and by tests. The results of the structural equation modeling analyses show that it makes a difference whether achievement is (as usually) measured with only one indicator (either mark or test performance), or if both indicators are integrated in the model. The latter model clearly supports the skill development model: In elementary school, prior self-concept does not significantly contribute to the prediction of subsequent achievement.

The causal ordering of academic achievement and self-concept of ability during elementary school: A longitudinal study.

The causal ordering of academic achievement and self-concept of ability during elementary school: A longitudinal study.

Motivation and Mathematics Achievement: Comparisons between Asian-American and Non-Asian Students

Constructs related to mathematics achievement in 353 Asian-American and non-Asian fourth, fifth, and sixth graders are examined. Students were surveyed regarding beliefs and expectations about ability in relation to mathematical tasks (self-concept of ability, perception of parental beliefs, causal attributions of success and failure), perception of mathematics, and reasons for engaging in the task (task-involved or ego-involved motivation). Additionally, how well these constructs predict mathematics achievement was investigated, noting potentially different weightings between Asian-American and non-Asian students. Results show Asian-American students differ significantly from non-Asian students on several constructs, partly reflecting Asian-American students′ lower self-concepts of mathematics ability and their belief that their parents share that conception. Groups also differed in the relative importance of the motivational constructs in predicting mathematics achievement. Results are discussed in relation to the comparative mathematics achievement of both ethnic groups.

Cross-Cultural Study of the Structure and Level of Multidimensional Self-Concepts in Secondary School Students

The purpose of this study was to compare responses to the Self-Description Inventory (SDI) by black and white adolescent boys and girls. Data were collected from 1128 adolescents attending four co-educational high schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Separate factor analyses of responses by black and white adolescents all clearly identified the eight SDI factors. The results indicated that black adolescents scored significantly higher than their white counterparts in global self-concept, general school, physical appearance and music ability self-concepts; while for the physical abilities and emotional stability self-concepts the direction was reversed. Boys scored significantly higher than girls in global self-concept, relations with family, physical abilities, physical appearance, music ability and health selfconcepts; while for the general school and emotional stability self-concepts the direction was reversed.

Motivation in African Americans

Close to 140 studies comprising an African-American empirical literature on motivation were reviewed. The review was organized around five topics subsumed under three broader assumptions about the relationship between ethnic minority status and motivation. First, research on the achievement motive was reviewed to examine the belief that African Americans lack certain personality traits deemed necessary for achievement strivings. Second, the empirical literatures on locus of control and causal attributions were summarized to investigate the assumption that African Americans are less likely to believe in internal or personal control of outcomes, the belief system that theoretically should accompany high achievement-related behavior. And third, research on expectancy of success and self-concept of ability was reviewed to examine the hypothesis that African Americans have negative self-views about their competence. None of these assumptions was supported in the review. In fact, African Americans appear to maintain a belief in personal control, have high expectancies, and enjoy positive self-regard. Some of the conceptual and methodological limitations of this research were discussed. The article concludes with six suggested principles of a motivational psychology for African Americans that might serve as guides for future research.

Motivation in African Americans

Close to 140 studies comprising an African-American empirical literature on motivation were reviewed. The review was organized around five topics subsumed under three broader assumptions about the relationship between ethnic minority status and motivation. First, research on the achievement motive was reviewed to examine the belief that African Americans lack certain personality traits deemed necessary for achievement strivings. Second, the empirical literatures on locus of control and causal attributions were summarized to investigate the assumption that African Americans are less likely to believe in internal or personal control of outcomes, the belief system that theoretically should accompany high achievement-related behavior. And third, research on expectancy of success and self-concept of ability was reviewed to examine the hypothesis that African Americans have negative self-views about their competence. None of these assumptions was supported in the review. In fact, African Americans appear to maintain a belief in personal control, have high expectancies, and enjoy positive self-regard. Some of the conceptual and methodological limitations of this research were discussed. The article concludes with six suggested principles of a motivational psychology for African Americans that might serve as guides for future research.

Self-Concept of Academic Ability: Relations with Gender and Academic Achievement

For a sample of 440 tenth-grade students, measures were collected to assess the self-concept of academic ability and academic achievement. Self-concept of academic ability was measured by Brookover's Self-concept of Academic Ability (General) Scale and academic achievement by the California Achievement Test. Gills had a higher mean score on self-concept of academic ability and on academic achievement than did boys. A significant positive relationship was found between self-concept of academic ability and academic achievement between boys and girls but the magnitude of the relationship between the two variables was stronger among girls than among boys.

Relations with parents and school and Chinese adolescents' self-concept, delinquency, and academic performance.

Current research and theory have suggested that the relational domains of family and school experiences are important to children's development. The present study thus examined how relations with parents and school were related to Chinese students' psychosocial and cognitive development in self-concept, delinquency, and academic performance. A total of 1668 secondary school students were studied, and results showed that better relation with parents was associated with higher general, academic, appearance, social, and physical ability self-concepts. Better relation with school was associated with higher academic performance, as shown in higher class rank, higher grand total exam scores, and higher scores in Chinese, English, mathematics, physical education, and music. Both poorer relations with parents and school were found to associate with more self-reported delinquency as well as more school records of misconduct.

Crisis and vulnerability in adolescent development

It was argued that adolescent development should be studied from a more relational and structural approach (cf. Damon and Hart, 1982). In the first study of 5986 Chinese students, two distinct self-concept dimensions were included and their relations to one another and to locus of control, extraversion, and test anxiety were compared across six primary and secondary grade levels. This was in contrast to past studies' focus on the overall change of single or global aspects of self-concept. It was found that self-concept of academic ability increased with age, whereas self-concept of appearance decreased with age. Both self-concepts were closely related. Locus of control was more related to self-concept appearance, and test anxiety to self-concept of academic ability. Extraversion was related only to self-concept of appearance. These relations existed mainly in adolescents (especially girls) and not in younger children. Midadolescence was found to be a critical period as both self-concepts showed quite drastic changes. Tentative evidence showed that the transition from sixth to seventh grade tended to have a dampening effect on the two self-concepts. Results from a second study of 701 secondary school students that included more self-concept dimensions lent further support to the findings of the first study. Crisis and vulnerability in adolescent development are discussed in the qualitative analysis of the relational changes.

Academic achievement and self-concept: An analysis of causal predominance in a developmental perspective.

Causal relationships among academic achievement, self-concept of ability, and general self-esteem were examined for two cohorts of Norwegian school children. Measures of the three variables were collected when the students in the two cohorts were attending third and sixth grade and 18 months later. Four hypotheses were tested by a methodology developed in the frame of structural covariance models with latent variables by means of the LISREL VII program. The findings strengthened a further need for longitudinal studies examining relationships between academic achievement and self-concept in a developmental perspective

Self-concepts, domain values, and self-esteem: relations and changes at early adolescence.

We assessed how children's self-concepts of ability for mathematics, English, social, and physical skills activities, ratings of the importance of these activities, and general self-esteem change across the transition to junior high school. Three types of change were assessed: change in mean levels, change in stability, and change in relationships. Twice each year during the sixth and seventh grades, 1,450 children completed questionnaires. Mean levels of children's self-esteem were lowest immediately after the transition, but recovered during seventh grade. Self-concept of ability and importance ratings for math and sports activities showed linear declines. Self-concept of ability for social activities showed a cubic trend, but importance ratings for social activities declined in a linear fashion. Children's self-concepts of ability for math and English became less stable across the junior high transition, whereas beliefs about other activities and general self-esteem were more stable in seventh grade.

A causal model of mathematics performance in early adolescence: the role of sex.

Using path analysis, the present investigation was done to clarify possible causal linkages among general scholastic aptitude, academic achievement in mathematics, self-concept of ability, and performance on a mathematics examination. Subjects were 122 eighth-grade students who completed a mathematics examination as well as a measure of self-concept of ability. Aptitude and achievement measures were obtained from school records. Analysis showed sex differences in prediction of performance on the mathematics examination. For boys, this performance could be predicted from scholastic aptitude and previous achievement in mathematics. For girls, performance only could be predicted from previous achievement in mathematics. These results indicate that the direction, strength, and magnitude of relations among these variables differed for boys and girls, while mean levels of performance did not.

Competitive and Cooperative Physical Fitness Training Programs for Girls: Effects on Physical Fitness and Multidimensional Self-Concepts

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the differential effects of a competitive and a cooperative fitness program for high school girls on physical fitness and on multidimensional self-concepts. Consistent with the content specificity of self-concept, physical fitness was significantly correlated with self-concept of physical ability (r=.45) but not with any of the other 10 self-concept scales (all r<.ll). Both the competitive and cooperative programs significantly enhanced physical fitness compared to a randomly assigned control group; but the cooperative program also enhanced physical ability self-concept and, to a lesser extent, physical appearance self-concept whereas the competitive program lowered them. The intervention had no significant effects on the other self-concept scales. The results of the study demonstrate the benefits of cooperatively oriented physical fitness programs for girls and the content specificity of multiple dimensions of self-concept.

Parent perceptions and attributions for children's math achievement

From junior high school on, girls report lower estimations of their math ability and express more negative attitudes about math than do boys, despite equivalent performance in grades. Parents show this same sex-typed bias. This paper examines the role that attributions may play in explaining these sex differences in parents' perceptions of their children's math ability. Mothers and fathers of 48 junior high school boys and girls of high, average, and low math ability completed questionnaires about their perceptions of their child's ability and effort in math, and their causal attributions for their child's successful and unsuccessful math performances. Parents' math-related perceptions and attributions varied with their child's level of math ability and gender. Parents credited daughters with more effort than sons, and sons with more talent than daughters for successful math performances. These attributional patterns predicted sex-linked variations in parents' ratings of their child's effort and talent. No sex of child effects emerged for failure attributions; instead, lack of effort was seen as the most important, and lack of ability as the least important, cause of unsuccessful math performances for both boys and girls. Implications of these attributions for parents' influence on children's developing self-concept of math ability, future expectancies, and subsequent achievement behaviors are discussed.