The big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept and interest in first- and third-grade students

BackgroundThe big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) postulates that class-average achievement has a negative effect on students’ academic self-concept. Research examining the BFLPE with elementary school students is scarce, especially with first graders.AimsThis study examined the BFLPE of class-average achievement on academic self-concept and interest in the math domain with first and third graders.SampleParticipants were Luxembourgish first graders (N = 5057) and third graders (N = 4925).MethodsA multilevel, doubly latent approach was used to assess a BFLPE model containing achievement (as the predictor) and ASC and interest (as outcomes) in the math domain.ResultsThe BFLPE on math self-concept was supported in both grades, whereas the BFLPE on math interest was supported only for third graders. In both grades, larger effect sizes were observed for the BFLPE on math self-concept than on math interest.ConclusionOur results suggest that the social comparisons underlying the BFLPE play an important role in the formation of math self-concept in both grades, but they play a less substantial—and probably later—role in the formation of math interest in elementary school.     

Ethnicity,self-concept,and school belonging: effects on school engagement

This study examined the relationship of self-concept, school belonging, school engagement to school performance of Caucasian- and African-American students. The main purpose is to assess the ethnicity-based differences in these psycho-social constructs and to explore their differential relationship to school achievement in high-school students from different ethnic background. The data were collected through a survey questionnaire in three school divisions in the Southwest region of Virginia of the United States. The results showed significant ethnicity-based difference in self-concept and in school engagement, but no significant difference in school belonging. The achievement differences were also significant, Caucasian students being higher on self-reported grades. In the regression model, self-concept was not a significant predictor of school outcomes, while school belonging had a significant relationship to school achievement for African-American students. Both self-concept and school engagement were significant for Caucasian students. The findings of the study provide better understanding of the relationship of these variables to school achievement and point to some policy-relevant implications.     

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.     

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.     

Achievement and Attitudinal Differences among Students in Regular,Remedial, and Advanced Classes

The collection of data by the National Center for Educational Statistics for the High School and Beyond study offered an opportunity to examine differences in achievement and attitudinal measures among students in regular, remedial, and advanced classes. Groups of low achieving and high achieving sophomores and seniors were identified on the basis of overall grades. Comparisons were made between students in regular and ability-grouped English and mathematics classes. The data were consistent with views that grouping leads to improved achievement and attitude toward subject matter for students in regular and remedial classes. The data were not consistent with a view that remedial group placement leads to poor self-concept or attitude toward school.     

Psychometric analysis of a measure of socio-emotional development in adolescents

This is a psychometric analysis of an instrument to assess the socio-emotional development of school students, How I Feel (HIF), developed as a situational judgment test, with scoring based on expert judgments. The HIF test was administered in grades 4–9, 1999–2005. Internal consistency, retest reliability, and year-to-year stability were satisfactory, and the HIF instrument appears sensitive to intervention effects. Sex differences and associations with substance use and other instruments support construct validity. A significant negative trend was found across grades, attenuated in a group receiving socio-emotional training. The HIF test has limited discriminatory power among individuals with high socio-emotional maturity.     

A Constructive Program in Silent Reading

ABSTRACT

The authors examined whether self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem show differential predictive utility for academic achievement across age groups and domains. More specifically, the relationships of 3 self-constructs with achievement were examined in mathematics for elementary school students and mathematics and language arts for middle school students in Korea. Task value and test anxiety were hypothesized to mediate these relationships. Consistent with previous reports, domain-specific self-constructs such as self-efficacy and self-concept were better predictors of task value and achievement than was general self-esteem. Task value and test anxiety significantly mediated only the relationships of self-efficacy assessed by the Bandura-type scale to achievement. These domain-specific relationships tended to be stronger for middle school than elementary school students and in mathematics than language arts.     

A comparison of learning and motivation among high school students

The academic performance of minority high school students, particularly in urban inner-city settings, is of great interest to educators and individuals concerned with the academic development of these students. It is widely recognized that in order to positively influence academic achievement related factors such as learning and study behavior, motivation, attitudes, self-concept, and other pertinent psychosocial characteristics should also be targeted for positive change. The present study compared 20 sophomore students who participated in a special program and 128 of their nonprogram peers on achievement and related measures. The program at a target high school was structured to positively impact achievement, as well as related student behavior and attributes. Significant differences were found on achievement, attendance, learning and study behavior and skills, self-concept, and other pertinent psychosocial attributes.     

Beyond English language proficiency scores: understanding the academic performance of international undergraduate students during the first year of study

ABSTRACT

Past research into the relationship between English proficiency test (EPT) scores and score profiles, such as the IELTS and the TOEFL, has shown that there is not always a clear relationship between those scores and students’ subsequent academic achievement. Information about students’ academic self-concept (ASC) may provide additional information that helps predict future academic success. Research has consistently shown a positive relationship between students’ ASC and subsequent academic achievement and educational attainment in both school and higher education settings. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the academic performance of international students and their language proficiency and academic self-concept as well as other characteristics related to academic success. The study focused on first year international students in undergraduate business programs at an English-medium university in Canada. The following information was collected about the student participants: grades in degree program courses, annual GPA, and EPT scores (including subscores). In addition, students completed an academic self-concept scale. To obtain additional information about success in first-year business courses, instructors in two required courses were interviewed about the academic and language requirements in their courses and the profile of successful students. Correlations between the students’ course grades, GPA, EPT scores, and ASC score were calculated. The instructor interviews were analyzed using a content analysis procedure. The findings from all data sources were triangulated and show that language ability, ASC, and other factors impact academic success during the first year in a business program. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Self-concept differences in student teachers in primary,elementary, secondary,and special education

Self-concept, intelligence and academic achievement were examined in students preparing to teach in primary, elementary, secondary, and special education (N = 267). The measures were the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, a group intelligence test, and school grades. Differences in self-concept, but not in intelligence and academic achievement, were found among groups of student teachers. Secondary education majors reported a more positive self-concept than primary or elementary, with special education majors reporting the least positive self-concept of all.     

Self-concept, self-esteem and academic achievement: strategies for maintaining self-esteem in students experiencing academic failure

Previous research into the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement shows that despite differences in academic self-evaluation, students’ global self-representations do not differ as a result of their grades at school. In this study, we will analyse the strategies that underachievers used to maintain their self-esteem at an acceptable level. The participants were 955 adolescents in the 7th, 9th and 11th grades at four secondary schools in Lisbon. Three hundred fifty-two of these students had retaken a year at least once in their school careers, whilst 603 had never done so. We collected the data using both a self-concept scale and a scale for evaluating attitudes towards school. Results show that self-esteem is maintained through positive self-representations in non-academic facets of self-concept and/or by devaluing school-related competences. They also show that younger students are less likely to maintain self-esteem by devaluing the school experience.     

Kompetent und beliebt?

Peer popularity is a relevant aspect of well-being and academic success. Amongst other impact factors self-concept and academic achievement are predictive for peer popularity. The present study focuses on the correlation of students’ grades, competencies and self-concepts in mathematics and reading to perceived peer popularity. Against the background of gender stereotypes with respect to the domains mathematics and reading, we hypothesized differential relationships with boys’ and girls’ perceived popularity. In a sample from the National Educational Panel Study of grade five students (N = 4427) from lower (Hauptschule), middle (Realschule) and highest (Gymnasium) track schools, we conducted a multiple group comparison. The results showed similar relationships for both girls and boys in all three school forms. There was a correlation of students’ grades in mathematics and of their verbal self-evaluation with their perceived peer popularity. However, grades in language arts (i.?e. German), domain-specific competencies and mathematical self-concept were not related to perceived popularity. Results suggest that high verbal self-concept is positively associated with high self-assurance in social situations and in communication situations and that mathematics is regarded as more difficult and cognitively challenging compared to language arts.     

Analysis of Cornell Orientation Inventory Items on Study Habits and their Relative Value in Prediction of College Achievement

Relations among achievement, self-concept, and motivation in mathematics and language arts were examined in a longitudinal 2-wave, 3-variable panel study. The participants were 3 cohorts of Norwegian elementary and middle school students (N = 1,005). The 1st data collection took place in October and November 1996, when the students in the 3 cohorts attended 3rd, 6th, and 8th grades. The 2nd data collection took place 1 academic year later. LISREL 8 was used in the separate analyses of mathematics and language arts data; the data were analyzed for each cohort by means of 6 path analyses for latent variables. In all cohorts, the results were consistent with a skill-development model of the achievement-self-concept relation, that is, the view that achievement affects subsequent self-concept. No evidence was found that self-concept affects subsequent achievement (self-enhancement model). Moreover, in the 2 oldest cohorts, motivation was affected by previous achievement. However, there was no evidence that self-concept affects subsequent motivation or achievement. Expectations of a developmental change in the achievement-self-concept relation was not supported.     

Do socio-motivational relationships predict achievement motivation in adolescents with high and low school self-concepts?

Considering the essential role that socio-motivational relationships at school play with respect to achievement motivation, this study examined the differences between students with a low school self-concept and students with a high school self-concept in a large sample of 7th and 8th grade students (N= 1088; MAge= 13.7) in secondary schools in Brandenburg, Germany. Multi-group structural equation modelling was used to estimate the associations between the variables of socio-motivational support and achievement motivation. The results showed that students with a high school self-concept report higher levels of socio-motivational support than students with a low school self-concept, whereas a teacher plays a more important role in motivating low self-concept students. Furthermore, the results underline the importance of adjusting the teacher's support to the level of the student's school self-concept as one of the possible prevention and intervention strategies aimed at boosting adolescents' achievement motivation after the transition to secondary school.     

Effects of three instructional approaches in adolescents' physical self-concept

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of three instructional approaches in secondary education students' physical self-concept after the implementation of an ultimate learning unit. A total of 274 (males: 151, females: 133) students (12 to 17 years of age) from an urban, coeducational high school (grades 8th to 12th) agreed to participate. They were distributed into three study groups in each grade: one group was taught using a Traditional approach (TRAD), another group was taught using the Sport Education model (SEM), and a third group was also taught using the Sport Education model and self-made materials (SEM-SM). The AF5-Self-Concept Questionnaire was administered to assess physical self-concept. The results showed that only the students in the SEM-SM group significantly increased their physical self-concept from initial to final tests. Self-made materials seem to have a significant positive effect, possibly due to their constructivist basis.     

Effectiveness of student response systems in terms of learning environment,attitudes and achievement

In order to investigate the effectiveness of using Student Response Systems (SRS) among grade 7 and 8 science students in New York, the How Do You Feel About This Class? (HDYFATC) questionnaire was administered to 1097 students (532 students did use SRS and 565 students who did not use SRS). Data analyses attested to the sound factorial validity and internal consistency reliability of the HDYFATC, as well as its ability to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. Very large differences between users and non-users of SRS, ranging from 1.17 to 2.45 standard deviations for various learning environment scales, attitudes and achievement, supported the efficacy of using SRS.     

A Study of Ability Grouping and the Self-Concept

Abstract

This study Investigated the relationships between acceptance of self, academic self-concept and two procedures used to group seventh-grade students for Instruction. The two facets of the self-concept were indexed for 323 heterogeneously grouped students and 244 homogeneously grouped students. Chi-square tests were applied to study the data by total groups, sex and achievement levels. Regardless of grouping procedures used, high achievers reported significantly more positive academic self-concepts (.01), while these concepts for low achievers were significantly less positive (.01). No other significant differences were found. It was concluded that grouping procedures do not significantly effect either facet of the self-concept, but success In school significantly influences the academic self-concept regardless of the grouping procedure used.     

The developmental interplay of academic self-concept and achievement within and across domains among primary school students

The reciprocal internal/external frame of reference model (RI/EM) extends the internal/external frame of reference model (I/EM) over time and the reciprocal effects model (REM) across domains. The RI/EM postulates positive developmental relations between academic achievement and self-concept within a domain and negative relations across two non-matching domains (e.g., math and English). However, until now, empirical investigations of the RI/EM had only focused on secondary school students from specific countries. In the present study, we test whether the RI/EM also applies to primary school students and to students in the United States, by using a representative longitudinal data set: the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K: 1998–1999). We found positive reciprocal relations between academic self-concept and standardized test scores within a domain, whereas the effect of prior achievement on self-concept was much stronger (skill-development part) than the effect of self-concept on achievement (self-enhancement). Furthermore, we found negative effects of achievement on subsequent self-concepts across domains (I/E frame of references). Overall, the findings of the study strongly support the RI/EM for primary school students. Our results are compared to previous findings in the literature for secondary school students and are discussed with regard to self-concept formation in primary school.     

The influence of extracurricular activities on middle school students’ science learning in China

ABSTRACT

Informal science learning has been found to have effects on students’ science learning. Through the use of secondary data from a national assessment of 7410 middle school students in China, this study explores the relationship among five types of extracurricular science activities, learning interests, academic self-concept, and science achievement. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the influence of students’ self-chosen and school-organised extracurricular activities on science achievement through mediating interests and the academic self-concept. Chi-square tests were used to determine whether there was an opportunity gap in the student’s engagement in extracurricular activities. The students’ volunteer and school-organised participation in extracurricular science activities had a positive and indirect influence on their science achievement through the mediating variables of their learning interests and academic self-concept. However, there were opportunity gaps between different groups of students in terms of school location, family background, and especially the mother’s education level. Students from urban areas with better-educated mothers or higher socioeconomic status are more likely to access diverse science-related extracurricular activities.     

Achievement goals,academic self-concept,and school grades in mathematics: Longitudinal reciprocal relations in above average ability secondary school students

This study examined the longitudinal reciprocal relations between academic self-concept, achievement goals (i.e., performance-approach, performance-avoidance, and mastery), and achievement (i.e., self-reported grades) in mathematics. The research aim was twofold. First, we examined the confound hypothesis, which states that performance-approach goals do not feature any incremental validity in predicting achievement over and above students' competence perceptions (i.e., academic self-concept). In addition, we expanded research on the confound hypothesis by also investigating performance-avoidance and mastery goals. Second, we investigated the predictive validity of all three achievement goals for changes in academic self-concept. Seven hundred sixty-nine students (50.78% female) attending the highest track of the German three-tier secondary school system participated in three waves of measurement in Grades 5, 6, and 8. Our findings confirmed the confound hypothesis: Performance-approach goals did not explain achievement over and above academic self-concept. The same findings applied to performance-avoidance and mastery goals. Furthermore, performance-approach goals were positively related to academic self-concept changes, whereas performance-avoidance goals showed a negative relation to academic self-concept changes over time. Mastery goals were not associated to changes in academic self-concept. Academic self-concept and achievement showed positive reciprocal relations. To conclude, our results point to complex relations between achievement goals, academic self-concept, and academic achievement over time.