Document Detail


Achievement differences and self-concept differences: stronger associations for above or below average students?
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20109275     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: On the one hand, achievement indicators like grades or standardized test results are strongly associated with students' domain-specific self-concepts. On the other hand, self-evaluation processes seem to be triggered by a self-enhancing means of information processing. As a consequence, above average students have more positive self-concepts than average students whereas below average students have lower self-concepts than average students. AIMS: Imagine that two students, one above average, the other below average, have identical achievement differences to an average student. Will their self-concepts also share identical differences with the average students' self-concept? Our hypothesis is that students who achieve above average develop self-concepts that are more distinct from average achieving students' self-concepts than are below average achieving students' self-concepts. SAMPLE: In Study 1, N=382 7th-10th graders (62.2% female) from several academic track (Gymnasium) schools in Germany served as participants. Students' ages ranged between 12 and 16 years (M=14.76, SD=6.24). In Study 2, the sample comprised N=1,349 students (49% girls) with a mean age of M=10.87 (SD=0.56) from 60 primary schools that were drawn representatively from a federal German state. In an experimental Study 3, N=81 German teacher education students (76.5% female) aged between 18 and 40 years (M=22.38, SD=3.80) served as participants. METHOD: Two field studies and one experimental study were conducted. RESULTS: In all three studies, achievement differences between above average and average students were identical to those between average and below average students. However, self-concept differences between above average and average achieving students were greater than those identified between average and below average students. CONCLUSIONS: As our studies show, self-enhancement and self-protection processes lead above average students to develop self-concepts that are more distinct from average students' self-concepts than those of below average students' self-concepts.
Authors:
Jens Möller; Britta Pohlmann
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial     Date:  2010-01-28
Journal Detail:
Title:  The British journal of educational psychology     Volume:  80     ISSN:  0007-0998     ISO Abbreviation:  Br J Educ Psychol     Publication Date:  2010 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-07-30     Completed Date:  2010-10-18     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0370636     Medline TA:  Br J Educ Psychol     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  435-50     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Kiel, Germany. jmoeller@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Achievement*
Adolescent
Adult
Child
Feedback, Psychological
Female
Germany
Humans
Individuality
Male
Personality Inventory / statistics & numerical data
Psychometrics
Reading
Self Concept*
Students / psychology*
Underachievement
Young Adult

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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