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The present study explores the impact of religiosity during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020). The focus is on associations between religiosity, coronavirus anxiety, and preventive behavior. Participants were 1,182 U.S. citizens (50% female;20-83 years of age). Highly religious participants scored higher on the somatic component of coronavirus anxiety (emotionality) but lower on the cognitive component (worry). With regard to preventive behavior, highly religious participants reported more unreasonable behavior (e.g., avoiding 5G networks, hoarding toilet paper) than participants with low religiosity;at the bivariate level, there were no differences in reasonable behavior (e.g., physical contact avoidance, frequent handwashing). A comprehensive mediation model showed emotionality-mediated associations between religiosity and unreasonable behavior (positive indirect effect) but also worry-mediated associations between religiosity and reasonable behavior (negative indirect effect). The results remained stable when controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables. The discussion centers on religiosity, information processing, and rationality during a global health crisis situation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Abstract. School-subject-specific test anxieties have been widely examined, but there is a lack of analyses of measurement invariance of test anxiety across subjects. In order to preclude a mixture of test anxiety construct differences across school subjects with actual test anxiety differences and to ensure meaningful comparisons of test anxiety across school subjects, we examined such measurement invariance. Two test anxiety factors (worry and emotionality) were inspected across four school subjects (mathematics, physics, German, and English) in a sample of secondary school students ( N = 1,280). Strict measurement invariance was ascertained (i.e., comparable factor loadings, intercepts, and residual variances of the items of worry and emotionality factors across school subjects). The correlations of subject-specific test anxiety factors with subject-specific academic self-concepts and grades showed a convergent/divergent correlation pattern, thereby supporting criterion-related validity. The results of this study provide insights into the comparability of test anxiety assessments across school subjects.

Academic self-concept and achievement have been found to be reciprocally related across time. However, existing research has focused on self-concept and achievement scores that have been averaged over long time-periods. For the first time, the present study examined intraindividual (within-person) relations between momentary (state) self-concept and lesson-specific perceived achievement (i.e., self-reported comprehension) in students’ everyday school life in real time using intensive longitudinal data. We conducted an experience-sampling (e-diary) study with 372 German secondary school students in Grades 9 and 10 over a period of 3 weeks after each mathematics lesson. Multilevel confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a two-factor between-level and within-level structure of the state measures. We used dynamic structural equation modeling to specify a multilevel first-order vector autoregressive model to examine the dynamic relations between self-concept and perceived achievement. We found significant reciprocal effects between academic self-concept and perceived achievement on a lesson-to-lesson basis. Further, we found that these relations were independent of students’ gender, reasoning ability, or mathematics grades. We discuss implications for methodology, theory, and practice in self-concept research and educational psychology more generally.

Two longitudinal extensions of the classic internal/external frame of reference model (I/EM) have attracted researchers’ attention in recent years: The reciprocal I/EM (RI/EM) describes the reciprocal effects between students’ math and verbal achievements and self-concepts. The 2I/EM describes the effects of students’ math and verbal achievement levels and changes on their math and verbal selfconcepts. The present research integrates these 2 approaches into the reciprocal 2I/EM (R2I/EM), which describes the effects of students’ math and verbal achievement levels and changes on their math and verbal self-concepts and the effects of their math and verbal self-concept levels and changes on their math and verbal achievements. We tested this model in 3 empirical studies, including about 6,000 students between Grade 4 and Grade 11 from Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium, using grades and test scores as achievement indicators. Overall, we found strong support for the R2I/EM. In line with prior 2I/EM studies, students’ achievement levels showed positive (negative) effects on their self-concepts within (between) subjects. The effects of students’ achievement changes on their self-concepts within (between) subjects were usually positive (near 0). In line with prior RI/EM studies, students’ self-concept levels showed positive (negative or near 0) effects on their achievements within (between) subjects. For the first time, we also examined the effects of students’ self-concept changes on their achievements: These effects were usually positive (positive or near 0) within (between) subjects. Our findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the I/E model literature and for teachers aiming to foster their students’ self-concepts and achievements. ispartof: Journal Of Educational Psychology vol:113 issue:8 pages:1529-1549 status: Published online

The successful completion of a university degree program is accompanied by multiple complex opportunities and challenges, which require students to react accordingly with the skills necessary to meet them. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of complex-problem solving (CPS) skills in undergraduate students’ university success in two independent samples. In Study 1, 165 university students completed a measure of intelligence as well as a measure of CPS. In addition, students’ university grade point averages (GPAs) and their subjective evaluation of academic success were collected. CPS made a significant contribution to the explanation of GPAs and the subjective success evaluations even when controlling for intelligence. To further investigate this effect, Study 2 relied on an independent and more heterogeneous sample of 216 university students. The findings of Study 1 were essentially replicated in Study 2. Thus, the combined results demonstrate a link between individual differences in CPS and the abilities necessary to be academically successful in university education.

A positive academic self-concept (ASC) relates to many desirable educational outcomes. Research on which student characteristics relate to the formation of ASC is therefore crucial. To examine the importance of personality for ASC, we investigated the relation between Big Five traits and mean level as well as within-person variability in state general-school ASC for the first time using intensive longitudinal data. The sample comprised N = 291 German ninth and 10th graders who completed a 3-week e-diary after filling in a 60-item Big Five questionnaire assessing extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, negative emotionality, and open-mindedness as well as their respective subfacets (15 subfacets overall). To assess state ASC, students completed three items after each lesson in four different subjects (resulting in Mlessons = 21.32). We ran six mixed-effects location scale models: one with all broad Big Five domains and five (one for each Big Five domain) with the subfacets as predictors of state ASC. Higher scores in the domains and in at least one subfacet of open-mindedness, conscientiousness, and extraversion but lower scores in negative emotionality were related to higher mean levels of state ASC. Higher scores in depression (subfacet of negative emotionality) were related to greater within-person variability in state ASC. These findings suggest that Big Five traits are predictors of mean level and within-person variability in students’ state ASC, thus contributing to a more complete map of the formation of students’ ASC and the role of personality therein. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Student motivation and affect play an important role in successful language learning. To investigate the formation of language learning motivation and affect, this study extended the generalized internal/external frame of reference (GI/E) model framework to multiple languages (German and French, along with math) and multiple motivational-affective outcomes (academic self-concept, interest, and anxiety). We examined whether social and dimensional comparisons play similar roles in the formation of students’ self-concepts, interests, and anxieties concerning different languages and whether dimensional comparisons result in contrast or assimilation effects. Moreover, we tested the generalizability of the GI/E model assumptions across students with different language backgrounds. Using a data set comprising virtually all ninth-grade students (N = 6,275; 48.0% female) from Luxembourg’s multilingual educational system, our findings indicated (1) clear contrast effects in the formation of self-concept and interest in math, German, and French, and (2) a combination of contrast, assimilation, and no effects in the formation of anxiety in math, German, and French. Using a subsample of 5,837 students with valid language information (48.0% female), invariance tests demonstrated that the GI/E achievement–outcome relations operated equivalently across students from different home language backgrounds.

Although female students’ overall performance in mathematics is on a par with the performance of male students, female students tend to report lower levels of mathematics self-concept (MSC) than their male schoolmates. With the present study, we examined for the first time whether occupational gender diversity (i.e., a balanced gender ratio) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) statistically predicted students’ MSC beyond well-established sources of self-concept formation as described in the big-fish-little-pond effect framework. To this end, we applied linear mixed-effects models to large, representative data sets comprising 120,270 students from 23 countries. After controlling for individual-level and school-level achievement, we found an interaction between students’ gender and country-level STEM gender diversity, with female students reporting higher MSC in countries characterized by greater gender diversity. Our results therefore suggest that a lack of societal STEM gender diversity negatively affects female students’ MSC formation and that good mathematics performance in itself does not protect female students from this adverse trend. We interpret our findings against the background of self-concept theory and research as well as psychological theories of gendered socialization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Psychometrically sound short scales are required to comprehensively and yet economically assess fundamental motives in research settings such as large-scale assessments. In order to provide such a time- and cost-efficient instrument, we conducted three studies (N = 1,568) to develop further and validate 16 German scales with three items each assessing fundamental motives [16 motives research scales (16mrs)]. In Study 1, we applied a top–down construction process to develop a preliminary item pool on the basis of a thorough revision of existing construct definitions. In Study 2, we chose an approach that allowed us to balance the optimization of psychometric properties with content coverage to select three-item scales for each of the 16 motives. For the item selection process, we combined exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, ant colony optimization algorithm, and Mokken scale analyses. In Study 3, we cross-validated the results obtained in Study 2 and placed the 16mrs in a nomological network consisting of Big Five traits and Power, Achievement, Affiliation, Intimacy, and Fear motives. The results of these studies indicate that the 16mrs can be used to reliably and validly assess fundamental motives that represent a level of personality that differs from the Big Five and covers motivational aspects beyond the well-established Power, Achievement, Affiliation, Intimacy, and Fear motives. Limitations concerning the reliability of the Autonomy scale and the empirical discrimination of the Dominance and Status scales are discussed. In addition to the validated German version, we also provide the English translation of the items, which, however, need to be validated before use.

Ever since its first conception, the concept of complex problem solving (CPS) has been debated regarding its role within the conception of human intelligence. The aim of the current paper was to theoretically introduce and empirically test a multifaceted framework of CPS that subsumes different positions and provides testable predictions on the nature of CPS. Following a review of the existing literature on complex problem solving, we conclude that it is necessary to differentiate between the dimensions of connectivity and dynamics. These dimensions are further distinguishable for both phases of CPS, knowledge acquisition and knowledge application, resulting in four facets. Static problems, as used in conventional measures of intelligence, on the other hand, do not include dynamics as much as complex problems. We argue that the differences in CPS and static problem solving proposed by various researchers result from the dimension of dynamics that is highly relevant for CPS but less so for static problem solving. An empirical analysis based on two independent samples supported the assumptions made by the framework. This brings substantial implications for the understanding of CPS as well as the interpretation of previous research, which we discuss.

Understanding individual difference in psychological responses toward the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) crisis is essential to the adequate handling of the current pandemic. Based on a sample of 1,182 American adult residents (stratified for age and gender; data collection March 13 to 15, 2020), we found three distinct clusters of psychological responses (i.e., informed, panic, and ignorant). Clusters differed regarding their knowledge about the virus, SARS-CoV-2-related anxiety (i.e., worry and emotionality), and evaluation of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis’s severity. Cluster membership was strongly associated with both SARS-CoV-2 risk-reducing, reasonable behavior and unreasonable behavior. Finally, clusters could be linked to systematic differences in broader personality dimensions (i.e., Dark Triad and Big Five). Our study provides and validates a set of clusters of individual psychological responses to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the resulting behavior. It functions as a pivotal starting point for longitudinal observations on the effectiveness of public health communications in this global challenge.

Our study presents time-critical empirical results on the SARS-CoV-2 fatality risk perception of 1182 US adult residents stratified for age and gender. Given the current epidemiological figures, our findings suggest that many US adult residents severely underestimate their absolute and relative fatality risk if infected with SARS-CoV-2. These results are worrying because risk perception, as our study suggests, relates to self-reported actual or intended behavior that can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates.

As work life becomes increasingly complex, higher order thinking skills, such as complex problem-solving skills (CPS), are becoming critical for occupational success. It has been shown that individuals gravitate toward jobs and occupations that are commensurate with their level of general mental ability (GMA). On the basis of the theory of occupational gravitation, CPS theory, and previous empirical findings on the role of CPS in educational contexts, we examined whether CPS would make an incremental contribution to occupational success after controlling for GMA and education. Administering computerized tests and self-reports in a multinational sample of 671 employees and analyzing the data with structural equation modeling, we found that CPS incrementally explained 7% and 3% of the variance in job complexity and salary, respectively, beyond both GMA and education. We found that CPS offered no incremental increase in predicting job level. CPS appears to be linked to job complexity and salary in a range of occupations, and this link cannot be explained as an artifact of GMA and education. Thus, CPS incrementally predicts success, potentially contributes to the theory of job gravitation, and adds to the understanding of complex cognition in the workplace.

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) offers a theoretically meaningful framework for examining students' beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics at school. However, longitudinal investigations of mathematics beliefs and attitudes using the TPB are scarce at best. To redress this imbalance, we examined the predictive validity of mathematics beliefs and attitudes, modeled using the four key constructs of the TPB (i.e., intention, attitude, norms, and control), on mathematics grades across time, while simultaneously controlling for quantitative reasoning. Furthermore, we explored the longitudinal interplay among these key constructs of the TPB. The total sample, drawn from various US middle schools, comprised 752 students at Time 1 and 514 students at Time 2. We used structural equation modeling to address the proposed research questions, and found that intention was associated with students' grades over time above and beyond quantitative reasoning. Additionally, intention at Time 1 was positively associated with control at Time 2, whereas – after controlling for shared variances – attitude at Time 1 showed a negative relation with control at Time 2. Intention and norms were reciprocally related across time. The current study provides the first longitudinal support for the validity of a mathematics beliefs and attitudes model strongly rooted in the TPB.

Purpose This study aims at the employees’ view on organizational learning (OL). OL is originally assessed in the Strategic Learning Assessment Map (SLAM) at the level of the firm by addressing managers, who rated OL in the SLAM on five dimensions of individual, group, organizational, feed-forward and feedback learning. However, as employees are getting their jobs done discretely and are increasingly making their own decisions, their perspective on OL genuinely matters. Hence, the authors assessed OL at the level of the individual by addressing employees on all levels, who rated OL in a short form of the SLAM (SF-SLAM). Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors focused on the construct validity of this SF-SLAM by investigating its reliability, factorial validity and nomological network. First, they asked whether the SF-SLAM reliably measures OL on five dimensions of individual, group, organizational, feed-forward and feedback learning. Next, they asked whether the SF-SLAM was associated with its nomological network of engaging in innovation-related learning activities, behaving innovatively on the job and showing higher educational levels, intelligence and individual job performances. They used a diverse German employee sample of skilled and unskilled workers and managers (N = 434) and analyzed the data with structural equation modeling. Findings The SF-SLAM was reliable, but revealed both constrained factorial validity and validity on the basis of its nomological network. First, five dimensions found support in the employee sample, but their correlations were high or very high, except for individual learning. Second, the SF-SLAM showed only few differential relations with variables from its nomological network. Originality/value Taken together, the SF-SLAM is short, reliable and only valid for examining individual learning.

With the aim to better understand the nature of complex problem solving (CPS), we investigated the link between confidence judgments, which represent a major constituent of metacognitive self-monitoring, and CPS by regressing the two facets of CPS (i.e., knowledge acquisition and knowledge application) on confidence in CPS. To ensure that the link between confidence in CPS and CPS is distinct, we controlled for reasoning, which is the strongest known correlate of CPS. Using structural equation modeling in a sample of 471 German seventh-grade students, we found that confidence in CPS explained 67% of the variance in CPS knowledge acquisition and 55% of the variance in CPS knowledge application. These links were reduced but remained substantial when we controlled for reasoning. The results indicate that confidence judgments as indicators of metacognitive monitoring in CPS are substantially linked to successful CPS, thus bringing us one step closer to a full understanding of CPS.

Domain-specific self-concepts (e.g., “I am good at mathematics”) and general school self-concepts (“I am good at school”) have been shown to be good predictors of academic performance, persistence, and even well-being; yet research on the predictors of domain-general (i.e., cross-curricular and nonacademic) self-concepts (e.g., “I am good at solving problems”) is scarce. On the basis of the generalized internal/external frame of reference model (GI/E model), this study tested potential predictors of the domain-general problem-solving self-concept. Structural equation models revealed—in line with the GI/E model—that self-reported mathematics achievement and complex problem solving exerted assimilation effects on problem-solving self-concept. As expected, there were no relations with self-reported verbal achievement. We also found a high association between mathematics, verbal, and problem-solving self-concepts. Simultaneous control for school track and general fluid ability, assessed using the four subscales of the CFT-20-R, that is, classification, matrices, and typologies, decreased the association between complex problem solving and problem-solving self-concept. We discuss the possible impact of domain-general self-concepts on students' performance.

Gender-equality paradoxes (GEPs) posit that gender gaps in math self-concepts (MSCs) are larger-not smaller-in countries with greater gender equality. These paradoxical results suggest that efforts to improve gender equality might be counterproductive. However, we show that this currently popular explanation of gender differences is an illusory, epi-phenomenon (485,490 students, 18,292 schools, 68 countries/regions). Between-country (absolute) measures of gender equality are confounded with achievement and socioeconomic-status; tiny GEPs disappear when controlling achievement and socioeconomic-status. Critically, even without controls GEPs are not supported when using true gender-gap measures-within-country (relative) female-male differences, that hold many confounds constant. This absolute/relative-gap distinction is more important than the composite/domain-specific distinction for understanding why even tiny GEPs are illusory. Recent developments in academic self-concept theory are relevant to GEPs and gender differences, but also explain other, related paradoxes. The big-fish little pond effect posits that attending schools with high school-average math achievements leads to lower MSCs. Extending this theoretical model to the country-level, we show that countries with high country-average math achievements also have lower MSCs. Dimensional comparison theory predicts that MSCs are positively predicted by math achievements but negatively predicted by verbal achievements. Extending this theoretical model, we show that girls' low MSCs are due more to girls' high verbal achievements that detract from their MSCs than to their low math achievements. In support of the pan-human wide generalizability of our findings, our cross-national results generalize over 68 country/regions as well as multiple math self-belief constructs (self-efficacy, anxiety, interest, utility, future plans) and multiple gender-equality measures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Zusammenfassung. Mit dem dialog Persönlichkeitsinventar (dpi) und seinen theoretischen Grundlagen präsentieren wir in diesem Artikel ein psychometrisches Instrument, das Coaches und ihre Klientinnen und Klienten darin unterstützt, die Ziele der Klientinnen und Klienten sowie deren Strategien im Umgang mit diesen Zielen zu reflektieren. Das Messinstrument erfasst sechs Annäherungs- und vier Vermeidungsziele sowie die individuellen Tendenzen, die eigenen Ziele hartnäckig zu verfolgen (hartnäckige Zielverfolgung) beziehungsweise sich von einmal gesetzten Zielen wieder lösen zu können und diese flexibel anzupassen (flexible Zielanpassung). Das dpi wurde an einer Stichprobe von 671 Personen überprüft. Die Reliabilitäten der zwölf Skalen sind mit .73 bis .90 zufriedenstellend bis sehr gut. Die beiden Prozesse der hartnäckigen Zielverfolgung und flexiblen Zielanpassung korrelieren hypothesenkonform durchgängig signifikant mit Lebenszufriedenheit, Arbeitszufriedenheit, Work-Life-Balance sowie der Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung.

The present study explores the motivation for fatherhood in a sample of childless German gay and heterosexual men aged 18 to 40 years (N = 628 + 638). Referring to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), three potential predictors were considered: the individual's attitude toward having children, perceived attitudes of significant others toward fatherhood, and anticipated parental self-efficacy. Regarding fathering motivation, the general desire to become a father was differentiated from the more concrete fathering intention. Level- and structure-oriented analyses were combined in an innovative way. Consistent with previous research, gay participants reported weaker fathering desires and intentions than their heterosexual counterparts; however, there was no wider desire-intention gap among gay than among heterosexual participants (level-oriented analysis). As expected, associations between TPB predictors and fathering motivation were independent of sexual orientation (structure-oriented analysis). Participants' appreciation of children and their self-attribution of parental self-efficacy were strongly associated with fathering intentions; these associations were substantially mediated by fathering desires. However, the association between significant others' attitudes toward fatherhood and participants' fathering motivation was comparably weak. Demographics were controlled for in each analysis. Results are discussed from both an individual and a societal perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

BACKGROUND Positive school attitudes defined as students' school liking and school attachment are positively related to many desirable outcomes. Student-teacher relations have often been considered to be an important determinant of school attitudes. AIMS Students' perceived teacher acceptance was used as an indicator for student-teacher relations. Using a longitudinal data set, we examined the developmental trajectories of school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance. In addition, we studied the temporal relations between both constructs.. We also examined gender differences in the mean levels, mean level development, and relations of school attitudes and teacher acceptance. SAMPLE The sample consisted of 2,376 German elementary school students. METHODS The students rated their school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance three times across grade levels 3-4. Latent growth curve models were used to examine the developmental trajectories of both constructs. Cross-lagged panel models were used to examine the temporal relations between both constructs. RESULTS Positive school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance declined across time. School attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance were positively and reciprocally related across the three waves. Boys and girls did not differ in their temporal relations between school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance and in the developmental trajectories of both constructs. Girls were found to display higher mean levels of school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance. CONCLUSIONS Research and practice should seek for effective means to counteract the decline of students' positive school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance. Interventions to foster students' school attitudes might benefit from enhancing student-teacher relations, and vice versa.

Both creativity and ethical decision making have been identified as 21st century skills that need to be facilitated in modern educational policy and practice. Prior research on the “dark side of creativity” suggests that creativity impacts ethical decision making adversely. This study is the first to study the reciprocity of students’ creativity and ethical decision making longitudinally and to specifically investigate whether students’ creativity is longitudinally associated with decreases in their ethical decision making. In addition, we investigated whether the observed longitudinal relations between creativity and ethical decision making hold after controlling for students’ reasoning skills. Middle school students (overall N = 1869; 48.3% male) were assessed at two time points of measurement. To obtain measures of students’ creativity and ethical decision making, we employed self-ratings as well as teacher-ratings. Reasoning test scores were available for a subsample of 417 students. No association between creativity assessments and changes in subsequent ethical decision-making assessments was found. This resulting pattern held after controlling for students’ reasoning skills. Collectively, these findings suggest that creativity is not a general predictor of decreases in ethical decision making, indicating that being a creative student unlikely implies being an unethical decision maker.

Students’ cognitive and motivational profiles have a large impact on their academic careers. The development of such profiles can partly be explained by the reciprocal internal/external frame of reference model (RI/E model). The RI/E model predicts positive and negative longitudinal effects between academic self-concepts and achievements within and across 2 academic domains (i.e., the mathematics and verbal domains). In the present study, we replicated the RI/E model in 2 samples and extended it by simultaneously investigating the longitudinal associations of academic self-concepts and achievements in 3 academic domains (i.e., mathematics, German as a native language, English as a foreign language). We examined 2 domains across 4 measurement occasions in 2 independent student samples who were in Grades 5–8 (Study 1: N = 1,529) or Grades 5–7 (Study 2: N = 639). In a 3rd study, we examined a subsample of the 2nd sample (N = 465) in 3 domains. Results demonstrated support for the RI/E model for 2 as well as 3 academic domains. We found positive reciprocal effects of academic self-concepts and achievements within a domain, positive reciprocal effects between achievements across domains, negative effects of achievements on subsequent cross-domain self-concepts, negative effects of academic self-concepts on subsequent cross-domain achievements, and some support for negative effects of academic self-concepts on subsequent cross-domain self-concepts. Furthermore, we found that RI/E model effects were of comparable size across time. To conclude, the RI/E model provides significant insights into the development of distinct motivational and cognitive profiles and, thus, of becoming either a math or verbal person. Implications for research and educational practice are discussed.

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.

© 2014 Elsevier Inc. Given its eminent role in student learning and development, it is important to understand how academic self-concept (i.e., how one perceives oneself in an academic context) is formed. Both internal and external comparisons are considered crucial antecedents: Students form their academic self-concept to a considerable extent by (externally) comparing themselves with others and by (internally) comparing their own performance in different academic domains. Building on previous research in secondary education, the main goal of this study is to test a model integrating both comparison processes in elementary education using a large sample of Grade 4 students (N = 4,436) nested in 241 classes. Including the proposed internal and external reference effects in one integrated model, the study provided evidence for the presence of both comparison effects on two academic self-concept domains (i.e., math and verbal self-concept). Specifically, students' achievement in one domain was positively related to self-concept in that domain and negatively related to self-concept in the other domain. Additionally, class-average achievement was negatively related to academic self-concept within each domain and positively across domains. In conclusion, this study stresses the need for further integration of the major models on academic self-concept formation in a unifying theoretical framework. publisher: Elsevier articletitle: The formation of academic self-concept in elementary education: A unifying model for external and internal comparisons journaltitle: Contemporary Educational Psychology articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.12.003 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ispartof: Contemporary Educational Psychology vol:41 pages:124-132 status: published

Fostering social and academic self-concepts are central educational goals. During mid-adolescence academic engagement and success seem to be devalued by peers and to be negatively associated with students' social standing. For this age group, is the development of a positive academic self-concept compatible with the development of a positive social self-concept? We investigated relations among academic self-concept, social self-concept, and academic achievement. 1282 students (47.60% female) participated in three-waves of measurement in Grade 5, 6, and 8. Earlier social self-concept of acceptance negatively predicted changes in academic self-concept over time while earlier social self-concept of assertion positively predicted changes in academic self-concept. There were no significant relations between social self-concepts and achievement but positive reciprocal relations between academic self-concept and achievement. Results indicate that fostering adolescents self-concept in social and academic domains are compatible goals. However, some students need support in managing the challenge to coordinate social and academic goals.