Book Description

This thesis explores the nature of the self and how the various self-perception constructs - self-esteem, self-concept, and self-efficacy - contribute to academic functioning. The research was undertaken in three stages. The first was designed to examine how the self is represented. Bandura's Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy (1990) and Barter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (1988) were utilised to examine the extent to which self-efficacy and competency-related elements of the self-concept are independent constructs. Factor analysis of data provided by secondary school students revealed that when measured using domain-specific measures such as these, self-efficacy and competency self-concept do not represent totally separate, distinct aspects of the self. The second stage was designed to examine how representations of the self relate to academic performance, intrinsic motivation, and occupational and educational aspirations. Taking account of past academic performance and other factors that might impact on the self-perception-academic outcome relationship, self-efficacy was shown to be a better predictor of these outcomes than either of the other two self constructs. Self-esteem was the least predictive. These findings suggest that self-efficacy and self-concept, but not self- esteem, are important for the development of academic functioning. The third stage of this research was designed to examine whether interventions can have a positive effect on how the self is represented, and if so, whether this also impacts on academic functioning. This thesis used a widely-used and Government-supported intervention programme to explore this issue in a real-world context. There were positive effects on some aspects of self-concept but not on any other variables. These effects were not associated with any changes in the academic outcomes. The, reasons why this intervention did not have a wider impact are explored, and the practical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed. This research provides a clearer understanding about where educators and education policy-makers should focus their efforts if the aim is to enhance self-related perceptions in school.