Academic self-concept and academic achievement: Developmental perspectives on their causal ordering.
Abstract
This study tests theoretical and developmental models of the causal ordering between academic selfconcept and academic achievement in a multicohort-multioccasion design (i.e., 3 age cohorts, each with 3 measurement waves).Participants were students in Grades 2, 3, and 4 from 10 elementary schools.The structural equation model for the total sample supported a reciprocal-effects model, indicating that achievement has an effect on self-concept (skill-development model) and that academic self-concept has an effect on achievement (self-enhancement model).This pattern was replicated in tests of invariance across the 3 age cohorts and did not support the developmental hypothesis that skilldevelopment and self-enhancement models would vary with age.Discussion centers on the theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the results.
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Achievement can affect motivation through experiences of success or failure.
“Yet the reverse relation is also often found, as achievement can affect motivation through experiences of success or failure (Garon-Carrier et al., 2016;Guay et al., 2003;Jansen et al., 2013).”
From Motivation-Achievement Cycles in Learning: a Literature Review and Research Agenda (2022) · cites this paper as Guay et al., 2003
Much empirical research on motivation-achievement interactions operationalizes motivation as academic self-concept in a certain academic domain, most often in mathematics and verbal subjects such as language and reading.
“Much empirical research on motivation-achievement interactions operationalizes motivation as ASC in a certain academic domain, most often in mathematics and verbal subjects such as language and reading (Guay et al., 2003;Seaton et al., 2014); for meta-analyses and reviews, see Burnette et al. (2013), Eccles and Wigfield (2002), Marsh and Craven (2006), Marsh and Martin (2011), and Robbins et al. (”
From Motivation-Achievement Cycles in Learning: a Literature Review and Research Agenda (2022) · cites this paper as Guay et al., 2003
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- Authors
- Guay, F., Marsh, H. W., & Boivin, M.
- Affiliations
- Université Laval (CA)
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Venue
- Journal of Educational Psychology
- Published
- 2003-03
- Volume
- 95
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 124-136
- ISSN
- 0022-0663 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-2176
- OpenAlex
- W4230566582
- Cited by
- 633
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 18.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Educational Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Keywords
- academic self-concept, academic performance, reciprocal effects, skill development model, causal order, elementary school students, age differences, measurement invariance, developmental model
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