Locus of control and self-concept in achieving and underachieving bright elementary students

This study examined a group of academically bright fourth-grade children for positive relationships of academic achievement with locus of control and self-concept. Twenty achievers and nine underachievers received the Interllectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (IAR) and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Two-factor ANOVAs were used to examine the self-concept and locus of control scores, with sex and achievement serving as the two independent factors. The results showed that achievers had significantly higher self-concepts than underachievers on the intellectual and school status subscale. In addition, achievers had significantly higher internal locus of control scores than underachievers for the IAR total score and the IAR positive score. No sex differences were revealed for either self-concept or locus of control. Implications of these results are discussed briefly.     

Academic self-concept and teachers' perceptions of normal,mentally retarded,and learning disabled elementary students

The self-concepts of educable mentally impaired, learning disabled, and nonhandicapped children were assessed using the Student Self-Evaluation (SSE), Teacher Evaluation Scale (TES), and How I See Myself (HISM) test. A Groups × Age × Sex analysis of covariance, with IQ effects statistically controlled, was computed for each measure. On the SSE, the groups were significantly different, with nonhandicapped students having better self-concepts than learning disabled students, and learning disabled students having better self-concepts than educable mentally impaired students. Teacher estimates of self-concept (TES) indicated that nonhandicapped students have better self-concepts than have handicapped students. For the HISM scores, there was a Group × Sex interaction, but no significant main effects; there was no consistent pattern to the interactions. The results suggest that handicapped children, as a group, have a lower self-concept than have nonhandicapped children. Implications for educational programming and future research are offered.     

Dimensionality of the Piers-Harris children's self-concept scale for miniority gifted children

The relationship between children's self-concepts and their academic achievement has been well established. More recently, the multidimensionality of the self-concept and the relationship of specific self-concept dimensions to achievement have been investigated. However, the multidimensionality of the self-concept among minority gifted children has not been studied. The present study examined the multidimensional structure of the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale among 438 predominantly Black gifted children. Six clearly defined orthogonal factors emerged. However, the structure of these factors differed from those reported by Piers and Harris.     

Self-concepts,academic achievement,and teacher's rating

One hundred ninety-eight pupils from fourth, fifth, and sixth grades were studied to determine the relationship between children's self-concept, academic achievement, and teacher's rating of children's self-concept. The differences between grade levels, sex, and ethnic group membership were tested by analysis of variance. Significant correlations were found between child's self-concept and teacher's rating of child's self-concept, and between teacher's rating of child's self-concept and child's academic achievement. Significant ethnic group differences were found in self-concept, academic achievement, and teacher's rating of self-concept in this study, with interethnic groups showing the higher scores.     

A preliminary investigation of special needs students' global and mathematics self-concepts

We investigated students' self-concepts within a multidimensional and hierarchical model. Participants were 95 special needs students in grades 3 through 12 who received mathematics instruction in special education classes. Partial support was found for the hierarchical model in special needs students: The relationship between scores on the Piers-Harris self-Concept Scale and Mathematics Achievement (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills) was significantly stronger for elementary students (r =.53) than for secondary students (r =.04). Percent of the school day spent in special education had a negative relationship (p <.05) to scores on Piers-Harris self-Concept Scale and a positive relationship (p <.05) to an investigator-developed mathematics self-concept instrument. The results suggest that special education has a complex relationship to self-concept. Possible implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Social and dimensional comparison effects on academic self-concepts and self-perceptions of effort in elementary school children

By focusing on the domains of math and German, the present study with 200 elementary school children investigated the specific relationships of self-reported grades with academic self-concepts and self-perceptions of effort within the competence-affective separation of academic self-concepts. In addition, possible mediator effects of academic self-concepts were explored. In both domains, self-reported grades positively predicted academic self-concepts of corresponding domains, which, in turn, positively predicted self-perceptions of effort of corresponding domains. However, there were no negative cross-domain achievement effects on academic self-concepts and no negative cross-domain self-concept effects on self-perceptions of effort. Both academic self-concepts mediated the effects from self-reported grades to self-perceptions of effort in corresponding domains. This research indicates that children’s self-perceptions of effort can be inferred by their competence and affective self-concepts.

• Highlights

• Self-reported grades positively predict academic self-concepts of corresponding domains.

• Academic self-concepts positively predict self-perceptions of effort of corresponding domains.

• There are no negative cross-domain achievement effects on academic self-concepts and no cross-domain self-concept effects on self-perceptions of effort.

• Academic self-concepts mediate the effects from self-reported grades to self-perceptions of effort in corresponding domains.

     

Native Language Self-Concept and Reading Self-Concept: Same or Different?

In assessing verbal academic self-concept with preadolescents, researchers have used scales for students’ self-concepts in reading and in their native language interchangeably. The authors conducted 3 studies with German students to test whether reading and German (i.e., native language) self-concepts can be treated as the same or different constructs. Compared with other facets of academic self-concept, reading self-concept was more highly related to reading test scores (Study 1) and German self-concept to German grades (Study 2). In Study 3, reading and general school self-concepts demonstrated similar relations to German grades. The findings of the 3 studies, albeit indirect, supported the specificity matching principle and caution researchers against applying reading and native language self-concept scales uncritically to infer verbal self-concept.     

Comparisons of the peabody picture vocabulary test and the McCarthy Sclaes of Children's Abilities with a sample of autistic children

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities were administered to eight autistic children. A correlated t-test and Pearson product correlations were calculated between the scores of the two tests in a within-subjects desgin. The Peabody correlated significantly with the McCarthy General Cognitive Index, Verbal Scale, perceptual Scale, and Memory Scale. A significant difference between the means of the two tests was found, with the Peabody yielding lower scores. The importance of multiskilled testing for the cognitive assessment of autistic children was discussed.     

Reading,writing, and math self-concept in elementary school children: influence of dimensional comparison processes

The internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model (Marsh, Am Educ Res J 23:129–149, 1986) conceptualizes students' self-concepts as being formed by dimensional as well as social comparison processes. In the present study, the I/E model was tested and extended in a sample of elementary school children. Core academic skills of reading, writing, and math were related to corresponding and non-corresponding self-concept facets to determine the onset of dimensional contrast effects. School achievement and domain-specific academic self-concepts of 1,114 students from grades 1 to 3 were assessed. Negative paths were found for math achievement on reading self-concept and for reading achievement on math self-concept in the third grade. Math achievement was not associated negatively with writing self-concept. Positive influences were found within the verbal domain for writing achievement on reading self-concept from grade 1 onward. The results suggest a broad interpretation of the I/E model in which contrast as well as assimilation effects are possible. Factors influencing the dimensional comparison processes are discussed.     

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale and Harter's Self-Perception profile for adolescents: a concurrent validity study

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) is a widely used measure of global self-esteem. Although its psychometric properties have found considerable support, its relationship to a multidimensional scale of self-concept has yet to be investigated. The sample for this study consisted of 150 adolescents randomly drawn in equal numbers and equated by gender from grades 8 to 12. Along with the RSE, Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents was administered to assess the adolescents' self-concept in nine separate domains. Correlational and cross-validation multiple regression analyses found that the RSE total score and both its factor scores were strongly related to Global Self-Worth, supporting Rosenberg's conclusions that his scale is a measure of global self-esteem and that its two identified factors are essentially measuring one rather than two different constructs. Other findings include a gender difference, with females reporting significantly lower RSE scores, and modest correlational support for a grade level rise found in the literature.     

The McCarthy scales of Children's Abilities as a predictor of achievement: A five-year follow-up

The purpose of the present study was to determine if the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities could be utilized as a predictor of achievement over a six-year period. Twenty-four kindergarten children were tested with the McCarthy Scales and subsequently examined with the Comprehensive Testing Program achievement tests in sixth grade. A correlational analysis of the data resulted in significant relationships between the McCarthy General Cognitive Index, Quantitative Scale, and Memory Scale and both the CTP and course grades. The McCarthy Perceptual-Performance Scale showed significant correlations with the CTP but not with course grades; the Verbal Scale was not predictive of academic achievement. The significance of these findings is discussed.     

Patterns of Teacher‐Student Interaction in Inclusive Elementary Classrooms and Correlates with Student Self-Concept

The efficacy of placing students with special needs in inclusive classrooms may depend in part on how instructional factors contribute to student outcomes. Differences in frequencies and levels of cognitive engagement of interactions among nine teachers in inclusive elementary classrooms were related to three other variables: teachers' ratings on the Pathognomonic-Interventionist (PATH/INT) Scale, students' designation either as exceptional or at-risk (EX/AR) or as typically achieving (TA), and students' scores on the Piers Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Teachers with PATH beliefs, who attribute learning difficulties to permanent characteristics of the student that are beyond the teacher's mandate, interacted infrequently with their EX/AR students at low levels of cognitive engagement. Teachers with INT beliefs, who see themselves as responsible for the achievement of all their students irrespective of their disabilities, interacted with all students more frequently, and at higher levels of cognitive engagement. In contrast to the PATH teachers, their EX/AR students received more instructional interactions than their TA students. As expected, the EX/AR students in all classrooms had lower Piers Harris Self-Concept Total Scale scores than typically achieving students. However, both TA and EX/AR students had lower Self-Concept Total Scale scores in the classrooms of teachers with PATH beliefs, compared to students in the classrooms of INT teachers. The relationship is discussed between teachers' beliefs, their different patterns of instructional interactions with students with and without disabilities in inclusive classrooms, and the possible impact of instructional interventions on students' self-concept.     

The impact of vision impairment on students’ self-concept

This study investigated the self-concept of students with vision impairment who were placed in specialist and mainstream educational settings in South Australia. Self-Concept was explored across six dimensions, namely Physical, Moral, Personal, Family, Social and Academic Self-Concepts and the Total Self-Concept. The ‘Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition’ was administered to 25 students with vision impairment (13 females and 12 males). Participating students’ age ranged between 15 and 25 years and they were included from all levels of vision impairment. The visual acuity of the participants ranged from 6/18 or less (low vision) to 3/60 and less (blindness). Although the majority of the students with vision impairment obtained low scores on all dimensions of self-concept, namely physical, moral, personal, family, social and academic, some students obtained normal scores in relation to family and academic self-concepts. There were no significant differences between female and male students with vision impairment across the six dimensions of self-concept and thus total self-concept. These findings have implications for teachers, special educators, policy-makers and a range of professionals in the education and special education sector in enabling greater understanding of the self-concept accomplishment of the students with vision impairment. However, this study has limited scope for generalisation of the study's conclusions due to the study's small population sample size.     

Effects of reality therapy methods applied in the classroom

Reality therapy methods in the classroom were examined via a four-group experimental design. The groups were as follows: (a) pretested reality therapy, (b) unpretested reality therapy, (c) pretested placebo, and (d) unpretested placebo. Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale scores and observations of on-task behavior constituted the outcome criteria. No significant differences were obtained for self-concept and on-task behavior. The findings were interpreted as not supportive of reality therapy methods as applied in the classroom.     

Big school,small school: Impact of the high school environment

An investigation of the relationship between high school priorities and self-concept was undertaken. Upper and underclassmen from large and small high schools completed questionnaires and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Participation in five activity areas was related to self-concept using a multiple-regression technique. The perceived similarity of each student's priorities with the school's priorities was also correlated with self-concept. The relationships accounting for the greatest proportion of the variance in self-concept scores were found among small-school upperclassmen. The results were interpreted as support for Barker's argument that small school students feel a greater obligation to participate in school activities.     

Simultaneous testing of four decades of academic self-concept models

In separate studies on academic self-concept, previous research has shown: (1) the distinctiveness of a cognitive and an affective component, (2) the domain specificity of self-concepts, (3) the reciprocal effects of self-concept and achievement, (4) the internal/external frame of reference in self-concept development, (5) the reciprocal effects of the internal/external frame of reference, (6) the big-fish-little-pond effect, and (7) the interrelatedness of self-concepts in similar domains. The present study demonstrates that all of these seven findings are replicable and may be synthesized in a single study with a sample of students in Singapore. Secondary 1 students (7th graders; N = 275) were surveyed with 24 items about their academic self-concepts in physics, English, and math in two components (cognitive and affective), and their respective achievement scores were recorded over two time points. Confirmatory factor analysis found that the cognitive and affective components of academic self-concept were separable. The students’ self-concepts in different curriculum domains were distinct, supporting the domain specificity of self-concepts. The frame of reference and reciprocal effects were both supported, but only for the cognitive component of self-concept. Positive and statistically significant correlations between physics and math suggest that these curriculum domains were interrelated. Results of self-concept studies in schools can encourage and guide the design of interventions that could enhance students’ self-concept for positive sustainable effects on desirable educational outcomes. Attempts to improve learning outcomes should emphasize an enhancement of specific components of academic self-concept in domain-specific and related curriculum domains for optimal effects.     

Peer victimization and prosocial experiences and emotional well‐being of middle school students

This study investigated the relationships among different forms of peer victimization and prosocial experiences and early adolescent emotional well‐being. A total of 571 students in grades 6–8 were administered the Positive and Negative Affect Scale–Children, Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, and the Children's Self Experience Questionnaire–Self Report. Females reported more prosocial experiences; males reported more overt and relational victimization. Differential predictors were observed for the emotional well‐being variables of life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect in a series of hierarchical multiple regression equations. Overt victimization experiences added significant variance to all three well‐being equations. Relational victimization experiences added significant variance to the negative affect equation. After accounting for overt and relational experiences, prosocial experiences added significant variance to the life satisfaction and positive affect equations. The experience of prosocial peer interactions thus appears to serve as a protective factor with respect to the relationship between victimization and life satisfaction and positive affect for early adolescents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 199–208, 2007.     

Relationship of socioeconomic status and ethnicity to primary grade children's self-concept

This study provides evidence regarding the controversy about the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity to self-concept. Subjects were 345 first-, second-, and third-grade children of low SES (180 were black) attending inner city schools in a large metropolitan area. The Purdue Self Concept Scale was the measure of self-concept. There was a decline in self-concept with grade level (p < .01), and blacks scored higher than whites (p < .01). An analysis of black second-grade children's scores indicated that the race difference was due to the high scores of those with welfare status. Low expectations resulting from SES and ethnic segregation, effects of the black pride movement, and defensiveness are considered as possible explantions.     

A study of self-actualization and self-concept in intellectually gifted students

The self-actualization and self-concept of 368 intellectually gifted students in grades 4 through 12 from a rural school district in a southern state were investigated using the Reflections of Self by Youth (ROSY; Schatz & Buckmaster, 1981), the Maslowian Scale (Falk, Bard, Duffy, Grieco, & Markus, 1988), and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (Piers & Harris, 1969). School level and gender had significant effects on the ROSY. The mean for students at the high school level was higher than at either the elementary or junior high school level. The mean for girls was higher than for boys. A significant interaction between school level and gender was observed only on the Psychological subscale of the Maslowian Scale. The ROSY and Self-actualization subscale and Total score of the Maslowian Scale were significantly related to the Piers-Harris. The ROSY and the Maslowian Scale were found to share a significant relationship (r = .51).