Theory of Mind and academic self-concept in early adolescence: The role of gender

• In Event: Theory of Mind and School Experiences in Children and Young Adolescents

Abstract

Theory of mind skills such as perspective-taking and emotion recognition benefit social functioning and also academic achievement. Different explanations exist for the beneficial effects of ToM within the school context (Lecce & Devine, 2022). Given that during early adolescence, the school context becomes increasingly focused on academic performance and that perceptions of the academic self might be based on an understanding of beliefs (Hughes, 2011), the current study focused on the links between ToM and perceived academic competence in young adolescence. Also during early adolescence, gender differences tend to intensify and theories question to which degree the construction of the self-concept differs between gender (Bussey & Bandura, 1999). Thus, this study investigated the role of gender in the relations between ToM and academic self-concept and, in turn, academic achievement in early adolescence.

We assessed Theory of Mind (ToM), academic self-concept, and academic competence in 12 year olds attending schools in Germany (N=102, 46 female). ToM was assessed using the conceptual role-taking scale from the Socially Ambiguous Stories (Bosacki, 1998). Academic self-concept was measured using the Self-Perception Profile by Harter (2012). Parents rated their children’s academic competence on a 7-point Likert scale following Mischel et al. (1998). We computed a path model testing ToM as a predictor of academic self-concept, which in turn predicts academic achievement. A multigroup path analysis was computed to examine the expected path model separately for girls and boys.
On average, ToM, academic self-concept, and academic competence did not differ significantly between gender, but showed a trend of higher ToM in girls than boys (p=.125). Path model analysis showed that in girls, ToM skills related to academic self-concept, b=0.16, p=.036, which in turn related with academic competence, b=1.30, p<.001. In boys, ToM was not significantly related to academic self-concept, b=-0.06, p=.319, but academic self-concept related to academic competence, b=0.92, p=.002. Mediation analysis revealed academic self-concept as a mediator between ToM and academic competence in girls, which suggests an indirect effect of ToM on academic outcomes via self-concept.
The current study highlights differential gendered relations between ToM and academic self-concept and supports constructivist accounts of self and mind that are based on interpersonal experiences within a social context. Girls might be expected and thus encouraged more to reflect on thoughts and feelings of themselves and others. Relatedly, it is suggested that girls organize their self with greater focus on interpersonal relationships than boys (Cross et al., 2011). Academic self-concept in girls might thus be based more on the integrated perspectives of others (e.g., teachers, parents) than in boys. The findings complement research on the role of ToM and gender within the secondary school context by highlighting academic self-concept as a potential link to academic competence. Overall, the findings suggest an interplay of ToM, and gendered academic identities in school context.

Group Authors

Christner, N. 1, Bosacki, S.2, Paulus, M. 1
1 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
2 Brock University, St. Catherines, Canada

Authors

• Natalie Christner, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  Presenting Author

• Markus Paulus, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

• Sandra Bosacki, Brock University