SOC 463/663 (Social Psych of Education) - Academic Self-Concept
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Week 5: Academic Self-Concepts Melanie Tannenbaum, M.A. Sociology 463/663 Spng 2015
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Transcript of SOC 463/663 (Social Psych of Education) - Academic Self-Concept
Week 5: Academic Self-Concepts
Melanie Tannenbaum, M.A.
Sociology 463/663
Spring 2015
This Week
The Self
Self-Esteem
Self-Complexity
(Academic) Self-Concept
Self-Enhancement
Self-Efficacy
The Self
What is the “self”?
The set of ideas that you refer to when saying “me”
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Beliefs about oneself
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Perceptions of oneself
Where does self-concept content come from?
Experience in interacting with one’s environment
Interpretation of one’s environment
Interaction with others, especially significant others
“Looking Glass Self”
Mead, Cooley
The Looking-Glass Self
Charles H. Cooley (1902)
People shape their self-concepts based on their understanding of how others perceive them.
We learn to see ourselves as we think others see us.
Self-Esteem
Definition
Positive (or negative) evaluation we have of ourselves; attitude toward the self.
Trait: Enduring level of regard for yourself; stable across time.
State: Your current feelings; based on recent events, changes throughout the week/day, etc.
Common Beliefs
Self-esteem is important and we should raise it!
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Sample #1
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Sample #2
Is low self-esteem bad?
Modest/small correlation between student self-esteem and academic achievement.
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Causality?
Baumeister et al., 2005
“Those with high self-esteem are gorgeous in their own eyes…but
not necessarily to others.”
Response Biases
Directionality
Risk Behavior & Bullying
Criticism
“If students work in classrooms where posters proclaim WE APPLAUD OURSELVES…they will
be inoculated against drug use, teen pregnancy, bad grades and just about everything else short of
the common cold…
Newsweek magazine, July 13, 1998, page 69
Criticism
“…or so the story goes. Parents, like educators, have soaked up the message, trying to make their
child feel good about himself no matter how many courses he fails or fly balls he drops…”
Newsweek magazine, July 13, 1998, page 69
Criticism
“…But now there is evidence that it might be dangerous. If kids develop unrealistic opinions of themselves and those views are rejected by others, warns psychologist Brad Bushman of Iowa State University, the kids are potentially dangerous.”
Newsweek magazine, July 13, 1998, page 69
Criticism
Why might it be “dangerous”?
Self-Worth Not Necessarily Linked to Academics
“I, who for the time have staked my all on being a psychologist, am mortified if others know
much more psychology than I. But I am contented to wallow in
the grossest ignorance of Greek.”
!
- William James (1842-1910)
Problems with Self-Esteem Striving?
If “feeling good about yourself” doesn’t occur in the academic domain, it can lead to disengagement
“General” self-esteem is not always the best predictor of academic success.
Contingency Model Crocker & Wolfe, 2001
People attach their sense of self to what they are good at/what is rewarding.
People dissociate their sense of self from what they are bad at/what is not rewarding.
Outcomes are self-relevant depending on whether a person bases their self-esteem on this domain or not.
Self-Complexity
Self-ComplexityHow do you define yourself?
What are your most important identities, hobbies, group memberships, jobs, or interests?
Self-ComplexityThe number of self-defining domains that you have matters — and so does the amount that they overlap!
People with more domains and non-overlapping domains tend to be happier and healthier.
Self-Complexity: Why?It has to do with self-esteem.
If you face failure in one domain, it helps to have other domains you can use to “buffer” your negative feelings.
If you define yourself entirely as a “girlfriend” or “boyfriend,” a “student,” or a “runner,” when you face failure in that domain it can be really demoralizing.
Contingencies of Self-Worth
After failing in one domain, thinking about other domains in which you excel protects self-esteem.
This is a very functional and protective mechanism!
It also helps to think about other domains before the self-esteem blow (if you fear failing in an important domain, focusing on other domains in which you are currently succeeding can help “buffer” the negative feelings).
Cost of Seeking Self-Esteem
Based on the contingency model of self-esteem, what goals & activities do people choose?
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Should we discourage the pursuit of self-esteem?
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Is healthy self-esteem an educational outcome?
Academic Self-Concept
Self-Worth Model
Ability
Effort
Performance Self-Worth
Lyon (1993)
Academic self-concept is the best predictor of achievement; better than
general self-concept.
Valentine (2004)Small, positive influence of academic self-beliefs
on academic achievement.
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Specificity matters; academic self-beliefs are a better predictor than general self-beliefs, and the prediction is even stronger when you get down to
the specific domain (e.g., math self-beliefs for math performance).
Dilemma!If there is a strong link between self-esteem and academics…
PROS: Promotes engagement in academics
CONS: Engages self-protective strategies
Biases, distortions, self-handicapping, cheating…
If there is a weak link between self-esteem and academics…
PROS: Insulates sense of self from failure
CONS: Low levels of academic motivation
Paradox: High Self-Esteem, Low Academic Achievement
Male African-American students in high school
Making a connection between self and social environment
Attributions for success — and failure
Attributions for low academic outcomes
Locus? Stability? Controllability?
Attributions for one’s environment
Locus? Stability? Controllability?
Two Models
1. Self-Esteem Model
Internalization (Clark & Clark)
Looking Glass Self
“A Girl Like Me”
2. External Attribution Model
Externalization (Crocker & Major)
Paradox: High Self-Esteem, Low Academic Achievement
Self-Esteem Model
Lower Achievement
Internal Cause
Stable Cause
Low Self-Esteem
Low Expectancies
Low Motivation
!Bad
Performance
External Attribution Model
Lower Achievement
External Cause
Stable Cause
Maintain Self-Esteem
Low Expectancies
Motivation & Performance
ControllableSystem Blame
Anger & Social Action
Van Laar, 2000
Van Laar, 2000
Van Laar, 2000
Van Laar, 2000
African-American students begin college optimistically, believing they can overcome the barriers in society.
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Become increasingly pessimistic about this prospect as they go through college.
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But…separation of “expectancies” and “self-esteem”
van Laar, 2000
Concerns about “raising self-esteem” to lower college dropout rates might be misplaced.
!
!
Not about self-esteem…about expectancies.
van Laar, 2000
The large proportion of African-American students leaving colleges and universities stems not, then, from fear of failure in that setting, or because their self-worth is negatively affected.
Instead, it appears to derive from the increasing doubt African-American students have that the returns to their efforts will be
worth it.
van Laar, 2000
On the one hand, parents can warn their children of racism, in order to prepare them for any negative experiences they may have,
but at the risk of lowering their children’s motivation.
!
On the other hand, parents can encourage their children to have high expectancies and to prepare for fair treatment, but at the risk
that they may become disillusioned.
van Laar, 2000
Discussion Question:
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How can we balance the need to manage expectancies & work on “expectancies” to improve college outcomes without setting
students up for false hopes & disillusionment?
van Laar, 2000
Self-Enhancement
The Better-Than-Average Effect
Self-EnhancementSelf-Descriptions of Ability
The “better-than-average” effect
Attributions
Wins attributed to ability, not circumstances
Fails attributed to circumstances, not ability
Failure Explanations
Ensure that failure can be seen as a “lack of effort,” not a lack of ability
Self-Handicapping
Strategies to guarantee success
Excuses, Excuses!
Self-Handicapping
The tendency to engage in self-defeating behaviors in order to prevent others from drawing unwanted attributions about you
Two main types
Actually setting up obstacles
Making excuses
Self-HandicappingAllows you to have a situational excuse for failure
People will be less likely to make a dispositional attribution when you fail.
If you fail, you have a convenient excuse.
If I wasn’t so hungover, I would’ve gotten an A!
If you succeed, you look even better.
He got an A even though he was so hungover!
Self-HandicappingSometimes people provide fake self-handicaps
Example: Secretly working really hard but hiding this from your friends/classmates and acting like you don’t
People think that you didn’t put in a lot of effort; didn’t try your hardest (even though you did)
If you fail, no one knows how hard you worked – they attribute your failure to simply not putting in any effort
If you succeed, everyone thinks you did well even though you barely put in any work, so you look especially good
Self-Handicapping
Self-handicappers tend to be less successful
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Creates anxiety/pressure, which leads to more self-handicapping (vicious cycle!)
Ensuring Success
The “wooden leg”
Involuntary characteristic of the self that interferes with good performance (e.g., test anxiety)
Low goal setting
Pick something that you know you can attain without much effort
Cheating
Self-Efficacy
Self-Efficacy
Albert Bandura (1986)
!
People’s judgments of their capabilities to
organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types
of performances.
Self-EfficacyMore specific than “self-confidence” or “self-esteem”
NOT THE SAME AS…
Outcome expectations
Control beliefs
Ability (though there is a connection)
Self-EfficacyGreater Effort
Better Strategic Choices
Learning strategies
Study habits
Goal Setting
Higher goals
More realistic goals
Greater goal commitment
Self-Efficacy RootsHistory of success & failure
Self-efficacy → Skill → Self-efficacy → Skill…
Modeling
Others
Self at earlier points in time
Feedback from others
Developing interests
Self-Esteem vs. Self-Efficacy
Self-Esteem: Sense of self-worth
Self-Efficacy: Perception of ability to reach a goal
!
If you don’t rely on your math performance to determine your self-worth, you can have low self-efficacy for math, but it won’t impact your self-esteem.
If you have really high standards, you might have high self-efficacy for math performance, but be so hard on yourself that your self-esteem is still low.
Self-Concept vs. Self-Efficacy
Self-Concept: More general; includes self-worth evaluations
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Self-Efficacy: Personal capability to perform specific actions
Confidence vs. Self-Efficacy
Confidence: Not specific; general sense of competence.
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Self-Efficacy: Specific competence beliefs related to one specific goal/domain.
Discussion Questions
What do you think is more important: Academic self-esteem or academic self-efficacy?
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How can we create programs to raise either one?
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What do you think are the pros and cons of both?
