Impact of social comparisons on the developing self-perceptions of learning disabled students.

Learning disabled (LD) children's self-perceptions were investigated using the Perceived Competence Scale for Children. This self-report instrument taps children's perceptions of their scholastic and athletic competence, social acceptance, and feelings of global self-worth. Participants in the study were 86 students in Grades 3–8 who attended a public school LD resource room. Results indicated that social comparison processes play an important role in the formation of LD students' perceived academic competence. LD students perceived themselves as becoming less academically competent across the grade span tested when they compared themselves with normally achieving students in their regular classes. When they compared their abilities with LD peers in their resource room, they maintained high perceptions of their own academic competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The storm and stress (or calm) of early adolescent self-concepts: Within- and between-subjects variability.

This study uses intraindividual variability and change methods to test theoretical accounts of self-concept and its change across time and context and to test the developmental implications of this variability. The 5-year longitudinal study of 541 youths in a rural Pennsylvania community from 3rd through 7th grade included twice-yearly assessments of self-concept (academic and social), corresponding external evaluations of competence (e.g., teacher-rated academic skills, peer-nominated “likeability”), and multiple measures of youths' overall adjustment. Multiphase growth models replicate previous research, suggesting significant decline in academic self-concept during middle school but modest growth in social self-concept from 3rd through 7th grade. Next, a new contribution is made to the literature by quantifying the amount of within-subject variability (i.e., “lability”) around these linear self-concept trajectories as a between-subjects characteristic. Self-concept lability was found to associate with a general profile of poorer competence and adjustment and to predict poorer academic and social competence at the end of 7th grade above and beyond level of self-concept. Finally, there was substantial evidence that wave-to-wave changes in youths' self-concepts correspond to teacher and peer evaluations of youths' competence, that attention to peer feedback may be particularly strong during middle school, and that these relations may be moderated by between-subjects indicators of youths' general adjustment. Overall, findings highlight the utility of methods sensitive to within-subject variation for clarifying the dynamics of youths' self-system development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between academic tracking and the degree of interethnic acceptance.

The unidimensional Interpersonal Relationship Assessment Technique (IRAT) was developed to examine the relationship between academic tracking and degree of cross-ethnic acceptance in integrated homeroom classes. When responses to the IRAT by 2,323 Israeli junior high school students were analyzed without the tracking factor, typical asymmetrical cross-ethnic acceptance was found. Both Middle Eastern and Western Ss exhibited a higher degree of acceptance toward Western students than toward Middle Eastern ones. When including the tracking factor in the analysis, regardless of ethnic origin, the degree of cross-ethnic acceptance was positively related to the academic status of evaluated classmates. Additionally, high-track Ss were selectively less accepting of low-track classmates than were their low-track counterparts. Implications for future success in integration are discussed. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's use of dispositions to predict classmates' behavior.

Kindergartners, 3rd, and 6th graders chose classmates whom they would and would not like to have on their team for an academic contest and as playmates. Ss also rated their classmates on likableness and academic ability. At all ages, children's choices for the academic competition and the play situation were significantly associated with their ratings of their classmates' academic and social competence, respectively. Ss typically referred to academic abilities to explain their teammate choices for the academic contest and to social competence or friendship to explain playmate choices. Questions about the stability of classmates' academic and social competencies revealed that not until 6th grade did Ss indicate that there are limits in the degree to which academic and social competencies could improve with effort. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills training for withdrawn unpopular children with physical disabilities: A preliminary evaluation.

Examined changes in self-concept, perceptions of support from close friends and classmates, and loneliness in 11 8.6–14.6 yr old withdrawn unpopular children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida who had been involved in a social skills training program. The program targeted 5 basic skills: interpersonal problem solving, verbal and nonverbal communication, initiating interactions with peers, conversational skills, and coping with difficult others. To assess the impact of the program, Ss were evaluated before the intervention, after the 10-wk intervention, and at a 6-mo follow-up. Findings indicate that group social skills training may be effective in decreasing feelings of loneliness and increasing perceptions of social acceptance in children who are withdrawn and unpopular at school. Ss' feelings of loneliness were associated with lower ratings of social acceptance and lower ratings of classmate support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting changes in children's self-perceptions of academic competence: A naturalistic examination of evaluative discourse among classmates.

Classroom discourse was examined as a predictor of changes in children's beliefs about their academic capabilities. Kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students (N=106) participated in 2 waves of data collection, approximately 1 year apart. During the 1st year of the study, children's verbal interactions with their classmates were observed and recorded. Children rated their self-perceptions of academic competence during the 1st and 2nd years. Analyses revealed that changes over time in children's competence perceptions could be predicted from the types of statements that children made and had directed toward them by classmates. Examining sequences of child and classmate statements proved helpful in explaining the observed changes in children's perceptions of competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concept and peer acceptance in students with learning disabilities: A four- to five-year prospective study.

Examined the peer relations and self-concepts of students prior to and following their identification by the school district as learning disabled (LD) in a 4- to 5-yr prospective study. Self-concept ratings (kindergarten–4th grade) and peer acceptance ratings (kindergarten–3rd grade), as well as academic achievement scores, were compared across 3 groups: LD students who were placed in resource special education programs during 2nd grade, low-achieving (LA) students, and average-achieving/high-achieving (AA/HA) students. For peer acceptance, AA/HA students' scores were higher than LA students' scores only. No between-groups differences were obtained during any school year on the self-concept measure. Findings suggest that LD students' self-perceptions are not negatively affected by academic and social difficulties in the early grades or by the identification and labeling process. Though generalization is limited by the small sample size, few studies have examined students with learning disabilities longitudinally or prior to and following their identification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What Type of Support Do They Need? Investigating Student Adjustment as Related to Emotional, Informational, Appraisal, and Instrumental Support.

The present study asked: What types of support (emotional, informational, appraisal, and instrumental) do students perceive from the sources of support (parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends)? and Are types of social support more related to students' social, behavioral, and academic outcomes? Gender differences in perceptions of support were also investigated. Data were collected from 263 5th-8th graders using the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, the Social Skills Rating System, and the Behavior Assessment System for Children. Although early adolescent boys and girls perceive similar levels of all types of support from their parents and teachers, girls perceive more support of most types from classmates and friends. Emotional and informational support were the most highly reported type of support from parents, informational support was most highly reported from teachers, and emotional and instrumental support scores were highest from classmates and close friends. Supportive behaviors from parents contributed to students' adjustment. Emotional support perceived from teachers was a significant and sole individual predictor of students' social skills and academic competence. Supportive behaviors from teachers also predicted students' school maladjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 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)     

Predicting change in academic achievement: A model of peer experiences and self-system processes.

The purpose of this study was to test a model of peer experiences and academic achievement among elementary school children. This model postulates that the quality of children's social relations (e.g., social preference) in the peer group can foster or inhibit feelings of connectedness (e.g., loneliness), which in turn affects children's perceptions of academic competence. Finally, perceptions of academic competence are hypothesized to predict change in academic achievement. Participants were 397 school children (206 girls, 191 boys; mean age?=?108 months, range?=?88–157 months). Results from structural equation modeling provided support for the proposed model. Discussion centers on the mediational role of self-system processes between children's social relations and change in academic achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in general academic self-esteem and in success expectations on defined academic problems.

In this study, gender differences in different dimensions of academic self-concept were examined. General academic self-esteem and expectations of being able to master particular math and verbal problems were measured in 231 sixth-grade Norwegian students. The girls had a substantially higher level of achievement and higher success expectations than their male classmates in Norwegian and English tasks, whereas there were no gender differences in achievement or success expectations in mathematics or in general academic self-esteem. A path analysis revealed that the differences in success expectations in English and Norwegian were no larger than could be explained by differences in achievement, and support for a direct effect of sex stereotypes on success expectations was not found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social competence, social support, and academic achievement in minority, low-income, urban elementary school children.

Despite living in disadvantaged urban communities experiencing social and economic hardships, many children emerge with positive outcomes. Social-emotional competence and social support were hypothesized to have strong influences on academic trajectories during the critical period of academic skill acquisition. Participants were 282 third-grade students from six elementary schools in a Northwestern urban community. Beyond the importance of prior levels of academic competence, considerable variance in end-of-year academic outcomes was predicted by initial levels of academic social-emotional competence and improvements in social-emotional competence and perceived teacher support over the course of the year. Noteworthy is that findings were strongest for African-American students, but methodological caveats regarding research with underachieving minority youth were discussed. The findings suggest that school psychologists and others designing interventions to improve achievement of disadvantaged students should address social-emotional competencies and classroom climate, especially teacher support of students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of children's academic competence from their effortful control, relationships, and classroom participation.

The authors examined the relations among children's effortful control, school relationships, classroom participation, and academic competence with a sample of 7- to 12-year-old children (N = 264). Parents and children reported on children's effortful control, and teachers and children reported on children's school relationships and classroom participation. Children's grade point averages (GPAs) and absences were obtained from school-issued report cards. Significant positive correlations existed between effortful control, school relationships, classroom participation, and academic competence. Consistent with expectations, the teacher-child relationship, social competence, and classroom participation partially mediated the relation between effortful control and change in GPA from the beginning to the end of the school year. The teacher-child relationship and classroom participation also partially mediated the relation between effortful control and change in school absences across the year. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors affecting the self-concepts of South African students

Relationships among family macrosocial structures, proximate family settings, attributions of responsibility, and African adolescents' self-concepts were examined. Data were collected from 460 South African high school students (234 girls, 226 boys; mean age = 18.6 years). On the basis of partial least squares path modeling, the results suggest that (a) family macrosocial structure, proximate family settings, and the individual's sense of responsibility for academic outcomes had modest to strong associations with different dimensions of self-concept; and (b) there were gender-related differences in the structure of the adolescents' social status backgrounds and self-concepts and in the relationships among social status, perceptions of parents' support for learning, personal responsibility, and self-concept.     

It's Not How the Pond Makes You Feel, but Rather How High You Can Jump.

Comments on the article by Marsh and Hau (see record 2003-06802-005), in which they provide an analysis of achievement and academic self-concept in 26 countries. The current authors agree with them on several points but have several concerns about the conclusion that highly selective programs, such as accelerated high schools, should be avoided because these settings may modify student self-concept. They suggest that rather than provide blanket pronouncements about programming options for gifted students, psychologists and educators should consider individual differences in each student's general level of self esteem and mental health, family expectations, the presence or absence of an encouraging environment, the ability of the particular school to meet the particular student's academic needs, the nature of the student body and their acceptance of new students, the student's willingness to leave friends, and so forth. Furthermore, student characteristics should be matched to the characteristics of specific programs for talented students, many of which have a measurable impact on outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moving into middle school: Individual differences in the transition experience.

Examined individual differences in the transition to middle school by considering the "voice of the consumer." 160 students were asked to evaluate their experiences during the 1st months of Grade 7, and variations in these self-evaluations were examined as a function of a broad range of potential student characteristics. Specifically, using a short-term longitudinal design, composite indices of self-concept, social adjustment, school attitudes/behavior, and academic achievement, assessed both prior to and during the transition period, were used to predict individual differences in student reports of the quality of their transition experiences. Individual differences in the transition experience were predicted from Grade 6 indices of social adjustment and school attitudes/behaviors. A more positive transition experience in early Grade 7 was uniquely related to indices of social adjustment and self-concept in Grade 7. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer victimization and academic achievement in a multiethnic sample: The role of perceived academic self-efficacy.

This study examines the link between perceived peer victimization and academic adjustment in an ethnically diverse sample of 1,895 Grade 6 students nested within 108 school classes. It was hypothesized that students' academic self-efficacy mediates the (negative) link between victimization experiences and academic achievement outcomes. Multilevel analyses were used to test this hypothesis and to explore whether there are differences between ethnic minority and majority group children. Results indicated that peer victimization was negatively associated with both relative class-based, and absolute test-based measures of academic achievement. These associations were similar across different school classes. As expected, the link between victimization and achievement was mediated by perceived academic self-efficacy, suggesting that victimized students did less well academically because they considered themselves to be less competent. The lower perceived self-efficacy of victimized children could be partly attributed to lower global self-esteem and depressed affect. Results were largely similar for ethnic minority and majority group children. (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)     

An evaluation of the relative effectiveness of NCTM standards-based interventions for low-achieving urban elementary students.

The effects of 2 instructional methods, problem solving and peer collaboration, were evaluated for enhancing mathematics achievement, academic motivation, and self-concept of 104 low-achieving 3rd and 4th graders. Students were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 conditions: control, problem solving, peer collaboration, and problem solving?+?peer collaboration. Students in all conditions met twice weekly for 30-min mathematics sessions over a 7-week period. Results indicate that problem-solving students performed significantly higher than their counterparts who did not receive problem solving on measures of computation and word problems and reported higher levels of academic motivation, academic self-concept, and social competence. Students who participated in peer collaboration scored higher on measures of computation and word problems and reported higher levels of academic motivation and social competence than did students who did not participate in peer collaboration. No significant interaction effect was found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)