_Self Concepts, Learning & School Success
_SELF CONCEPT: “ … a person’s self-perceptions formed through experience with and interpretations of one’s environment” (Marsh & Martin, 2010, p. 60).
Self-concept and self-esteem are related terms but are not considered synonymous by most theorists (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
Self-esteem is often described as a global construct while self-concept is seen as being related to a specific field of endeavour so that, for example, a student can have a positive self-concept in relation to maths and a negative self-concept in relation to reading (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
Self-concept is important because it is closely associated with people’s behaviours and with cognitive and emotional outcomes. A positive self-concept is a strong predictor of academic achievement and happiness while a negative self-concept is associated with anxiety and low self-esteem (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
Self-concept and self-esteem are related terms but are not considered synonymous by most theorists (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
Self-esteem is often described as a global construct while self-concept is seen as being related to a specific field of endeavour so that, for example, a student can have a positive self-concept in relation to maths and a negative self-concept in relation to reading (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
Self-concept is important because it is closely associated with people’s behaviours and with cognitive and emotional outcomes. A positive self-concept is a strong predictor of academic achievement and happiness while a negative self-concept is associated with anxiety and low self-esteem (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
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How Do Children Develop Self-Concepts?
_ Children begin school with a sense of self that has been developing since they were born.
When parents and caregivers respond in a warm and caring manner to an infant’s cries, the baby learns to trust, first, that he will be cared for but also that he himself is worthy of being loved (Bretherton, 1991 in McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010). As the child grows, his parents and other adults enhance his sense of self by the way they speak to him and interact with him every day. If these interactions are generally positive, the child is likely to have a positive sense of self.
McDevitt and Ormorod note that “most young children have positive self-concepts and high self-esteem” (2010, p. 450) so most children begin school with a positive self-concept and high self-esteem.
When parents and caregivers respond in a warm and caring manner to an infant’s cries, the baby learns to trust, first, that he will be cared for but also that he himself is worthy of being loved (Bretherton, 1991 in McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010). As the child grows, his parents and other adults enhance his sense of self by the way they speak to him and interact with him every day. If these interactions are generally positive, the child is likely to have a positive sense of self.
McDevitt and Ormorod note that “most young children have positive self-concepts and high self-esteem” (2010, p. 450) so most children begin school with a positive self-concept and high self-esteem.
_During their school years, children develop an Academic Self-concept (ASC) which affects their attitudes to learning.
Children with positive academic self-concepts:
Academic self-concepts “both mediate and moderate the effects of aptitudes on learning and academic performance” (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
This is why a child with a high IQ but a negative ASC may underachieve at school while a child with a lower IQ but a positive ASC may perform very well.
Children with positive academic self-concepts:
- show interest in new learning activities;
- persist with difficult tasks;
- set high goals for themselves;
- look for ways of solving any problems which arise;
Academic self-concepts “both mediate and moderate the effects of aptitudes on learning and academic performance” (Marsh & Martin, 2010).
This is why a child with a high IQ but a negative ASC may underachieve at school while a child with a lower IQ but a positive ASC may perform very well.
_Marsh and Martin (2011) have
shown that academic self-concept and achievement are mutually
reinforcing, each leading to gains in the other. This is called the Reciprocal Effects Model (REM).
Teachers play a significant role in helping children to develop positive views of themselves as capable learners by helping them to experience success. This role is particularly important in the early years of schooling when children are beginning to develop academic self-concepts. |
While it is possible for
children's self-concepts to change, we know that, once
established, these concepts tend to remain stable over time.
Teachers help to foster positive ASCs in their students by:
It is important that teachers understand the practical implications of the reciprocal effects model. If they focus on developing ASCs without also improving achievement, the gains in self-concept are likely to be short-lived. If they concentrate on improving academic achievement without also fostering their students' self-beliefs in their academic capabilities, the achievement gains are also unlikely to last long (Marsh & Martin, 2011).
Teachers help to foster positive ASCs in their students by:
- understanding how children develop cognitively and emotionally and the support they need at each developmental stage;
- developing warm, respectful and caring relationships with them;
- providing learning tasks that are challenging yet enable students to experience success;
- getting to know their students as individuals so that they can provide specific, targeted encouragement and feedback;
- providing extrinsic rewards when required to motivate students so that they can experience success;
It is important that teachers understand the practical implications of the reciprocal effects model. If they focus on developing ASCs without also improving achievement, the gains in self-concept are likely to be short-lived. If they concentrate on improving academic achievement without also fostering their students' self-beliefs in their academic capabilities, the achievement gains are also unlikely to last long (Marsh & Martin, 2011).