Influences of internal and external frames of reference on the formation of math and English self-concepts.

In a large nationally representative sample (N?=?14,825 students, 1,015 high schools) math and English self-concepts were: (a) uncorrelated despite a substantial correlation between math and English test scores; (b) influenced by internal and external frames of reference; and (c) negatively affected by school-average achievement. As posited by the internal/external frame-of-reference model, better math skills led to much higher math self-concepts but slightly lower English self-concepts, whereas better English skills led to much higher English self-concepts but slightly lower math self-concepts. School-average achievement negatively affected academic self-concept; equally able students had higher academic self-concepts in schools with lower school-average achievements. This school context effect was also content specific; school-average math achievement negatively affected only math self-concept, and school-average English achievement negatively affected only English self-concept. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concepts, motivation, and academic achievement of Black adolescents.

Investigated the unique and common contributions made by global self-concept, academic self-concept, and need for academic competence to the variance in academic achievement of inner city Black adolescents. Data on these variables were collected from 328 8th-grade students attending a New York City public junior high school. Results of commonality procedures indicate that academic self-concept and need for academic competence each accounted for significant proportions of criterion variance, whereas global self-concept did not. Explanations of variance in academic achievement were better for males than for females after the possible confounding effects of verbal ability had been partialled out. Directions for intervention strategies aimed at enhancing academic achievement are suggested for the 2 sexes. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coming of age in Middletown: Careers in the making.

Reviews aspects of a longitudinal study of career development begun in Middletown, New York, in 1951 that involved 100 males who were first studied as 14–25 yr olds and followed up at ages 21, 25, and 36 yrs. Establishment in a career was found to reflect 5 factors: attained status, job satisfaction, occupational advancement, career progress, and career satisfaction. In predicting career establishment, 9th-grade measures of self-concept and variables such as parental socioeconomic status and school grades outperformed measures of vocational maturity, but these 2 classes of variables had similar predictive power when measures were collected in the 12th grade. As expected, 12th-grade predictors outperformed 9th-grade predictors. The best predicted outcome from both 9th and 12th grades was attained status at age 25 yrs, reflecting the importance of family background and school achievement. The construct and predictive validity of the measures employed, occupational stability of the Ss between 25 and 36 yrs of age, and implications for the use of career maturity instruments are discussed. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Athletic classmates, physical self-concept, and free-time physical activity: A longitudinal study of frame of reference effects.

The systematic analysis of factors that promote or impede physical activity in children is an urgent task for educational researchers. The present study investigated the reciprocal relationship between physical self-concept, teacher-assigned grades in physical education classes, and free-time physical activity, and analyzed positive and negative consequences of being in a class with high class-average physical ability. Data from a large, representative sample of 1,095 preadolescents from 66 classrooms were examined within a longitudinal framework. Multilevel analyses showed that membership in a class with high class-average physical ability was associated with lower physical self-concept and free-time physical activity and highlighted the significant role of teacher-assigned grades in the development of physical self-concept and physical activity. Furthermore, as predicted, there were positive reciprocal effects between physical self-concept and physical activity levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Explaining Paradoxical Relations Between Academic Self-Concepts and Achievements: Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the Internal/External Frame of Reference Predictions Across 26 Countries.

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model explains a seemingly paradoxical pattern of relations between math and verbal self-concepts and corresponding measures of achievement, extends social comparison theory, and has important educational implications. In a cross-cultural study of nationally representative samples of 15-year-olds from 26 countries (total N = 55,577), I/E predictions were supported in that (a) math and verbal achievements were highly correlated, but math and verbal self-concepts were nearly uncorrelated; (b) math achievement had positive effects on math self-concept, but negative effects on verbal self-concept; and (c) verbal achievement had positive effects on verbal self-concept, but negative effects on math self-concept. Supporting the cross-cultural generalizability of predictions, multigroup structural equation models demonstrated good support for the generalizabilify of results across 26 countries participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment project sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal ordering of academic self-concept and academic achievement: A multiwave, longitudinal panel analysis.

There is surprisingly little sound research on the causal ordering of academic self-concept and academic achievement in longitudinal panel studies, despite its theoretical and practical significance. Data collected in Grades 10, 11, 12, and 1 yr after graduation from high school that were used in this study come from the large (N?=?1,456 students), nationally representative Youth in Transition study (e.g., J. G. Bachman; 1970). It was found that reported grade averages in Grades 11 and 12 were significantly affected by academic self-concept measured the previous year, whereas prior reported grades had no effect on subsequent measures of academic self-concept. The results provide one of the few defensible demonstrations of prior academic self-concept influencing subsequent academic achievement, and the study appears to be methodologically stronger than previous research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of math anxiety and its influence on young adolescents' course enrollment intentions and performance in mathematics.

We used structural modeling procedures to assess the influence of past math grades, math ability perceptions, performance expectancies, and value perceptions on the level of math anxiety reported in a sample of 7th- through 9th-grade students (N?=?250). A second set of analyses examined the relative influence of these performance, self-perception, and affect variables on students' subsequent grades and course enrollment intentions in mathematics. The findings indicated that math anxiety was most directly related to students' math ability perceptions, performance expectancies, and value perceptions. Students' performance expectancies predicted subsequent math grades, whereas their value perceptions predicted course enrollment intentions. Math anxiety did not have significant direct effects on either grades or intentions. The findings also suggested that the pattern of relations are similar for boys and girls. The results are discussed in relation to expectancy-value and self-efficacy theories of academic achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extension of the internal/external frame of reference model of self-concept formation: Importance of native and nonnative languages for Chinese students.

The authors extended the internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model of self-concept formation by relating Chinese, English, and math achievement to Chinese, English, and math self-concepts in a 5-year longitudinal study based on a large (N?=?9,482) representative sample of Hong Kong high school students. Tests of the I/E model are typically based on math and English constructs for a single wave of data in Western countries, This study involved testing its cross-cultural generalizability to a non-Western country, including native and normative languages, as well as mathematics, and evaluating longitudinal effects over a 5-year period starting shortly before the beginning of high school. In support of the extended I/E model, (a) math, English, and Chinese achievements were highly correlated, whereas math, English, and Chinese self-concepts were nearly uncorrelated; (b) math, English, and Chinese achievements each had positive effects on the matching self-concept domain but negative effects on nonmatching domains (e.g., English achievement had a positive effect on English self-concept but negative effects on math and Chinese self-concepts); and (c) these results were very stable over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An exploration of young adolescents' social achievement goals and social adjustment in middle school.

Two studies investigated the proposition that social achievement goals (different orientations toward social competence) are an important aspect of young adolescents' social motivation. Study 1 (N=153 6th-grade students) established that different orientations toward developing or demonstrating social competence can be seen in young adolescents' responses to open-ended questions about their social goals and social competence. Study 2 (N=217 6th-grade students) evaluated a new survey measure of social achievement goals for young adolescents. Exploratory factor analyses indicated a 3-factor model (social development, demonstration-approach, and demonstration-avoid goals). Different social achievement goals were associated with distinct patterns of subsequent self- and teacher-reported social adjustment (prosocial, aggressive, and anxious solitary behaviors, as well as social worry, best-friend quality, and perceived popularity). Effects for social achievement goals were independent of perceived social competence and gender. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectations and achievement among third-, sixth-, and ninth-grade Black and White males and females.

Hypothesized that (a) boys in 3rd, 6th, and 9th grade would have higher expectations than girls, but only 9th-grade boys would have higher achievement; (b) achievement would increase with grade; (c) Whites would have higher expectations and achievement than Blacks; and (d) realism would increase with grade level. 112 Black and White 3rd, 6th, and 9th graders recorded their expectations and then attempted to perform tasks of math, mazes, or geometric drawings. Contrary to predictions and most previous studies, no significant sex differences were found. Whites achieved higher scores on mazes and drawings than did Blacks. The expectations of Blacks rose with grade level, regardless of concomitant achievements; but expectations of Whites did not. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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 diffeence whether chievement is assessed by marks or by tests? The sample consisted of 697 students from 54 German elementary school classes. the descign 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), of if both indicatory 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. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of perceived barriers and relational support in the educational and vocational lives of urban high school students.

Drawing on developmental contextual theory, the authors examined the relationship of perceived barriers and support with school engagement and vocational attitudes among 9th-grade urban high school students in 2 studies. Study 1 (N=174) showed that both perceived barriers and perceived support from family kin were associated with youths' commitment to school and aspirations for success in their future careers. Study 2 (N=181) replicated and extended Study 1, demonstrating that perceived barriers, general perceptions of support, and kinship support were associated with behavioral and attitudinal indexes of school engagement, as well as with aspirations for career success, expectations for attaining career goals, and the importance of work in one's future. The findings contribute to efforts to identify individual and contextual factors relevant to the educational and vocational lives of urban minority youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential Profiles of Students Identified by Their Teacher as Having Avoidant, Appropriate, or Dependent Help-Seeking Tendencies in the Classroom.

In Study 1, teachers identified 6th-grade students (N = 844) as having 1 of 3 help-seeking behavioral tendencies in the classroom: avoidant, appropriate, or dependent. More students were identified as having appropriate (65%) than avoidant (22%) or dependent (13%) help-seeking tendencies. Student self-reports of help avoidance were in line with teacher reports. In Study 2, students displaying different help-seeking tendencies in math class differed from each other in self-reported motivational, affective, relational, and achievement-related ways. In general, avoidant help seekers had a more maladaptive profile compared with appropriate help seekers. In general, dependent help seekers had an adaptive profile regarding social relationships (similar to appropriate help seekers) but a maladaptive profile regarding anxiety, academic efficacy, and achievement (similar to avoidant help seekers). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the benefit of dimensional comparisons.

People not only use social comparisons to evaluate their abilities, they also engage in dimensional comparisons, comparing their own achievement in different domains. Processes of dimensional comparison have contrasting effects on subject-specific self-concepts: downward dimensional comparisons result in higher self-concept in the intraindividually better domain, whereas upward dimensional comparisons result in lower self-concept in the intraindividually weaker domain. Two field studies and 1 experimental study were conducted to investigate whether the effects of downward or upward dimensional comparisons are stronger. In Study 1 (N = 319), downward dimensional comparisons proved to be stronger than upward dimensional comparisons. In Study 2 (N = 1349), the same pattern was found with reading test scores as well as grades as achievement indicators. In Study 3 (N = 81), the authors found larger effects for downward than for upward comparisons in both self-perceived competence and satisfaction with test outcomes in an experimental setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Striving for social dominance over peers: The implications for academic adjustment during early adolescence.

This study investigated the proposal that social dominance goals are an important, but overlooked, aspect of social goals for young adolescents' academic adjustment. Self-reports of social goals (dominance, intimacy, and popularity goals) early in the school year were used to predict subsequent engagement (self-reports and peer nominations of effort toward school work and disruptive behavior) and achievement (i.e., grades) when students were in 6th grade (N = 718) and again after the transition to middle school when students were in 7th grade (N = 656; 52% African American and 48% White; 52% female and 48% male). In line with hypotheses, social dominance goals were associated with maladaptive forms of engagement and low achievement in 6th and 7th grades. For intimacy goals, relations were more limited, but when found, these goals were associated with adaptive forms of engagement in 6th and 7th grades. Popularity goals were not generally associated with engagement or achievement. The exception was 6th-grade African American girls, for whom popularity goals were associated with maladaptive engagement, (i.e., low effort, high disruptive behavior, and low peer nominations for trying hard and getting good grades). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of parent involvement in isolation or in combination with peer tutoring on student self-concept and mathematics achievement.

The present study examined the effects of a home-based, parent involvement (PI) intervention and the reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) intervention on the self-concept and mathematics achievement of academically at-risk urban elementary school students. Seventy-two 4th- and 5th-grade students evidencing difficulties in mathematics were selected. Students were assigned randomly to 3 conditions: PI?+?RPT, PI, and practice control (PC). Student self-concept reports showed that students in the PI?+?RPT and PI conditions reported higher ratings of scholastic and behavior conduct than controls. Students in the PI?+?RPT conditions perceived themselves as more socially confident than did PI or PC students. Mathematics findings indicated that students who received PI?+?RPT displayed higher levels of accurate mathematics computations on a curriculum-based measure than PI or PC students. PI?+?RPT students also had significantly higher scores on a standardized measure of mathematics computation than PC students. The relationships between the PI intervention components and school adjustment were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Where is the hierarchy of academic self-concept?

The hierarchy of academic self-concept (SC) was examined in 4 studies. In Study 1, a higher order artistic SC factor represented teacher education students' (N?=?298) SCs in 4 art areas. In Study 2, high school students' (N?=?197) perceptions in speaking, reading, and writing in English and in language other than English formed 2 distinct higher order factors showing the domain specificity of their SCs in respective language areas. In Study 3, university students' (N?=?309) SCs in speaking, reading, and writing English as a second language formed a higher order English SC factor that was not distinguishable from an independent global English SC measure. In Study 4, responses of students in a school of commerce (N?=?211) to SC items in accounting, math, economics, English, and Chinese formed a higher order factor that was not distinguishable from a global academic SC measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How social comparison mediates the relation between ability-grouping practices and students' achievement expectancies in mathematics.

This investigation tested the hypothesis that social comparison processes mediate the relation between ability-grouping practices in mathematics and students' achievement expectancies in a district-wide sample of 6th graders (N?=?452). Compared with between-classroom ability grouping, within-classroom grouping raises high achievers' achievement expectancies, math grades, and tendency to make downward comparisons (i.e., with a classmate who is worse at math). Within-classroom grouping lowers low achievers' expectancies and math grades and increases their tendency to make upward comparisons. When controls for the direction of students' social comparison choices and for their mathematics grades are introduced, the independent effect of ability grouping on achievement expectancies is consistently and substantially reduced. It is argued that ability-grouping practices constrain the choices available to students and teachers for social comparison of abilities and thereby influence the frame of reference students use for self-assessment and teachers use for assigning grades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectancies, values, and achievement in junior high school.

Many theorists have suggested that students' motivation to achieve in school depends on their expectancies for success and the value they attach to success. There are few data, however, on the relation between expectancies and values or their relative contribution to achievement. To examine these issues, we asked 153 seventh graders to complete multiple measures of academic expectancies and values. We used students' report card grades and academic track placements in English and math as indicators of their achievement. Covariance structure analyses showed that students' expectancies were more strongly related to their achievement than were their values. Nevertheless, both expectancies and values made significant, independent contributions to achievement. In addition, the constructs for expectancies and values were positively correlated. Boys and girls had similar expectancies, but boys appeared to value academic success less than did girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic underachievement, other-direction, and attitudes toward women's roles in bright adolescent females.

Studied achievement patterns and the relationship of other-direction and attitudes toward women to achievement in 43 10th-grade females with IQ scores above 110. Underachievers were Ss whose high school grade average was below the class mean. Achievement indices consisted of high school grades and scores on the Stanford Achievement Test and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development. Grade averages from Grades 2 through 10 were examined. Achievement patterns revealed a significant difference between the grades of achievers and underachievers beginning at Grade 6. Other-direction and attitudes toward women were significantly related to mathematical achievement test scores and high school grades. Results are discussed in relation to research in locus of control and factors contributing to adult underachievement in bright females. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)