Others Don’t Like Me If I Am Good at School? Reciprocal Effects of Adolescents’ Academic and Social Self-Concepts

• In Event: Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Issues in Adolescence and Youth Development

Abstract

Fostering social and academic self-concepts are central educational goals. However, during adolescence academic engagement seems to be devalued by peers. We investigated reciprocal relations among academic and social self-concepts and academic achievement. 1282 students (48% female) participated (three waves of measurement in grade 5, 6, 8). Social self-concept of acceptance was negatively related to later academic self-concept; social self-concept of assertion was positively related to later academic self-concept. We found no significant relations between social self-concept and achievement but positive reciprocal relations between academic self-concept and achievement. Thus, fostering self-concepts in social and academic domains are compatible goals. However, some students need support in managing the challenge to coordinate social and academic goals.

Authors

• Franzis Preckel, University of Trier

• Christoph Niepel, University of Trier

• Martin Brunner