Author :
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the academic self-concept on academic achievement among university students. The academic self-concept information among university students was collected using the Liu and Wang (2005) academic self-concept scale which was composed of two subscales; academic confidence and academic effort. The study was conducted on 394 university students; males and females from different levels of study and faculties in a public university in Malaysia. MANOVA was used to analyse the collected data and the results revealed that there was a statistically significant effect of gender on academic effort and academic achievement, while also a statistically significant difference was shown in faculties on academic achievement. Again a difference was noted in the interaction between gender, faculties, and levels of study on academic achievement. The Post Hoc results indicated that a statistically significant difference existed in between the faculties Arts and Human Sciences.
Keywords
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the academic self-concept on academic achievement among university students. The academic self-concept information among university students was collected using the Liu and Wang (2005) academic self-concept scale which was composed of two subscales; academic confidence and academic effort. The study was conducted on 394 university students; males and females from different levels of study and faculties in a public university in Malaysia. MANOVA was used to analyse the collected data and the results revealed that there was a statistically significant effect of gender on academic effort and academic achievement, while also a statistically significant difference was shown in faculties on academic achievement. Again a difference was noted in the interaction between gender, faculties, and levels of study on academic achievement. The Post Hoc results indicated that a statistically significant difference existed in between the faculties Arts and Human Sciences.
Keywords
- Awad, G. (2007). The role of racial identity, academic self-concept, and self-esteem in the prediction of academic outcomes for African American students. Journal of Black Psychology, 33, 188-207.
- Cheng, C. H. K., & Watkins, D. (2000). Age and gender invariance of self-concept factor structure: An investigation of a newly developed Chinese self-concept instrument. International Journal of Psychology, 35, 186-193.
- Cokley, K. (2000). An investigation of academic self-concept and its relationship to Academic achievement in African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 26, 148 -164.
- Eccles, J. S. (2005). Studying the development of learning and task motivation. Learning and Instruction, 15, 161-171.
- Field, A. (2005). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (6th edition), Sage Publication, London.
- Guay, F., Marsh, H. W., & Boivin, M. (2003). Academic self-concept and achievement: Developmental perspective on their causal ordering. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 124-136.
- Harter, S. (1998). The development of self-representations. In Damon, W., & Eisenberg, N. (ed.), Handbook of child psychology, 3 (5), 553-617. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
- Harter, S. (1999). The construction of the self: A developmental perspective. New York: Guilford Press.
- Hossaini, S. M. (2002). Forecasting between self-esteem, parenting and gender among pre- university of students in Shiraz. University of Shiraz, Shiraz, Iran.
- Ireson, J., & Hallam, S. (2001). Ability grouping in education. London: Chapman.
- Jackson, S. A., Thomas, P. R., & Marsh, H. W. (2001). Relationships between flow, self concept, psychological skills, and performance. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 13, 129-153.
- Jacob, J. E., Lanza, S., Osgood, D. W., Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Changes in children’s self- competence and value: gender and domain differences across grades one through twelve. Child development, 73, 509- 527.
- Kling, K. C., Hyde, J. S., Showers, C. J., & Buswell, B. N. (1999). Gender differences in self-esteem: A meta- analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 470-500.
- Lewis, J. D., & Knight, H. V. (2000). Self-concept in gifted youth: An investigation employing the Piers-Harris subscales. Gifted Child Quarterly, 44, 45-53.
- Liu, W. C., & Wang, C. K. J. (2005). Academic Self-Concept: A Cross-Sectional Study of Grade and Gender Differences in a Singapore Secondary School. Asia Pacific Education Review, 6(1), 20-27.
- Marchargo, J. (1991). The teacher and the self-concept in his or her students. Theory and practice. [El professor y el autocempto de sous alumnus. Teoria y practica]. Madrid: Escuela Espanola.
- Marsh, H. W., & Yeung, A. S. (1997). The causal effects of academic self-concept on academic achievement: Structural equation models of longitudinal data. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 41-54.
- Marsh, H. W. (1989). Age and sex effects in multiple dimensions of self-concept: Preadolescence to early adulthood. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 417- 430.
- Marsh, H. W. (2004). Negative effects of school-average achievement on academic self-concept: A comparison of the big-fish-little-pond effect across Australian states and territories. Australian Journal of Education, 48, 5-26.
- Marsh, H. W. (2006). Self-concept theory, measurement and research into practice: The role of self-concept in educational psychology. Unpublished manuscript, British Psychology Society, 25th Vernon- Wall lecture.
- Marsh, H. W., & Parker, J. W. (1984). Determinants of student self-concept: Is it better to be a relatively large fish in a small pond even if you don't learn to swim as well? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 213-231.
- Marsh, H. W., Byrne, B. M., & Yeung, A. S. (1999). Causal ordering of academic self-concept and achievement: Reanalysis of a pioneering study and revised recommendations. Educational Psychologist, 34, 154 -157.
- Marsh, H. W., Ellis, L., & Craven, R. G. (2002). How do pre-school children feel about themselves? Unravelling measurement and multidimensional self-concept structure. Developmental Psychology, 38, 376-393.
- Martin, M. O., Mullis, I. V. S., Gonzalez, E. J., & Chrostowski, S. J. (2004). Findings from IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study at the fourth and eighth grades. Chestnut Hill, MA: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Centre, Boston College.
- Mui, F. L. L., Yeung, A. S., Low, R., & Jin, P. (2000). Academic self-concept of talented students: Factor structure and applicability of the internal/external frame of reference model. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 23, 343-367.
- Peixoto, F. (2003). Self-esteem, self concept and relational dynamics in school context. PhD thesis, Universidade does Minho.
- Pullmann, H., & Allik, J. (2008). Relations of academic and general self-esteem to school achievement. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(6), 559-564.
- SarAbadaniTafreshi, L. (2006). The relationship between academic achievements, Self-Esteem and Gender with Anxiety of Computer among Postgraduate of Students in University of Tabeiyat Moallem Tehran. University of Tabeiyat Moalem, Theran, Iran.
- Shavelson, R. J., Hubner, J. J., & Stanton, G. C. (1976). Self-concept: Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407-441.
- Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2002). Internal and external frames of reference for academic self concept. Educational Psychologist, 37, 233-244.
- Tan, J. B., & Yates, S. M. (2007). A Rasch analysis of the Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire. International Educational Journal, 8(2), 470 - 484.
- Trautwein, U., Ludtke, O., Koller, O., & Baumert, J. (2006). Self-esteem, academic self concept, and achievement: How the learning environment moderates the dynamics of self concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 334-349.
- Tymms, P. (2001). A test of the big fish in a little pond hypothesis: An investigation into the feelings of seven-year-old pupils in school. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 12, 161-181.
- Wigfield, A., Battle, A., Keller, L. B., & Eccles, J. S. (2001). Sex differences in motivation, self-concept, career aspiration and career choice: implications for cognitive development. In A. McGillicuddy-De Lisi, & R. De Lisi (eds.). Biology, society, and behaviour: the development of sex differences in cognition. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
- Worrell, F. C., Lotto, I. K., & Perlinski, M. A. (1999). The relationship of Risk Status to Self-Esteem and Perceived Life Chances. The Journal of At-Risk Issues, 5(2), 33-38.
- Zareh, H. (1994). The relationships between achievement of motivation, self-esteem and gender among high school of students. University of Tarbiyat Moalem, Tehran, Iran. Appendix Liu and Wang’s Academic Self-Concept Scale 1= strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree 1. I can follow the lectures easily. 1 2 3 4 5 2. I day-dream a lot in lectures. 1 2 3 4 5 3. I am able to help my course mates in their school work. 1 2 3 4 5 4. I often do my course work without thinking. 1 2 3 4 5 5. If I work hard, I think I can get better grades. 1 2 3 4 5 6. I pay attention to the lecturers during lectures. 1 2 3 4 5 7. Most of my course mates are smarter than I am. 1 2 3 4 5 8. I study hard for my tests. 1 2 3 4 5 9. My lecturers feel that I am poor in my studies. 1 2 3 4 5 10. I am usually interested in my course work. 1 2 3 4 5 11. I often forget what I have learned. 1 2 3 4 5 12. I will do my best to pass all the courses this semester. 1 2 3 4 5 13. I get frightened when I am asked a question by the lecturers. 1 2 3 4 5 14. I often feel like quitting the degree course. 1 2 3 4 5 15. I am good in most of my courses. 1 2 3 4 5 16. I am always waiting for the lecture to end and go home. 1 2 3 4 5 17. I always do poorly in course works and tests. 1 2 3 4 5 18. I do not give up easily when I am faced with a difficult question in my course work. 19. I am able to do better than my friends in most courses. 1 2 3 4 5 20. I am not willing to put in more effort in my course work. 1 2 3 4 5