Daydreaming, Self Concept and Academic Performance

A continuous interaction model was proposed to explain the relationship among daydreaming, self concept and academic performance. Daydreams were hypothesized to both influence performance and attitudes and in turn be affected by performance outcomes and self concept. A second aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of a semantic differential scale as a method for subjects to rate their own daydreams. Subjects recorded school-related daydreams during two time periods in a semester, completed three self concept scales and took four psychology exams. Multiple regressions were used to analyze the proposed model. The second self concept score was predicted by the initial self concept score, daydream activity, and gender. The third self concept score was explained by the second self concept score and an exam score. The three summary dimensions of the semantic differential were independent and stable over seven weeks.