The Effect of Social Context on Gender Self-Concept

In this study we re-examine the role of genderwithin the self-concept and challenge the assumptionthat our gender self-concept is static and consistentacross contexts. We used the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) to measure masculinity and femininityacross six contexts. These six contexts were interactingwith same sex friends, interacting with other sexfriends, interacting at home, work, and school, and interacting in a social context where one doesnot know many people. Two hundred twenty-three femalesand 52 males from a large public university in theSoutheast participated in the study. A majority of the participants (76%) were Caucasian with 10%being Hispanic, 4% Asian, and 4% African American.Multivariate analyses of variance provided strongevidence for differences across contexts for both males and females. The results indicated that we aredynamic beings and those characteristics associated withgender are dynamic as well.     

竞争合作与学业成绩的关系：学业自我概念的中介作用

该研究旨在探讨学业自我概念对竞争合作与学业成就关系的影响。研究采用合作竞争态度量表、学业自我描述问卷对397名初中生进行调查。结果发现：1）竞争与学业成就间存在显著的正相关,竞争意识强者学业成绩越好;2）合作与学业成绩间不存在显著相关关系;3）学业自我概念在竞争与学业成绩之间起着完全中介作用。     

儿童学业自我概念在父母教养风格与学业成就间的中介效应

运用问卷法,对612名北京市中小学生及其父母分别进行了自我概念和教养风格的测试。结果表明,父母民主型教养风格通过儿童学业自我概念这一中介变量,对儿童学业成就产生明显的正向促进作用,而父母专制型教养风格,则以直接的途径对儿童的学业成就产生负面效应。     

Academic Self-Concept of Older Adults in Career Transition

The authors investigated the academic self-concept of students age 50 and older who are in career transition to identify their perceptions of their academic abilities and the teaching and learning environment.     

Further Psychometric Evaluation of the Japanese Version of an Academic Self-Concept Scale

In the present study, the author replicated earlier research (Paik & Michael, 1999) seeking additional information on the reliability and construct validity of a Japanese academic self-concept scale, a 70-item questionnaire comprising S subscales (Aspiration, Anxiety, Academic Interest and Satisfaction, Leadership and Initiative, and Identification vs. Alienation). A sample of 1% Japanese high school students completed the scale. Internal consistency reliability for the S subscales ranged from .75 to .87. Confirmatory factor analyses performed on several alternative models showed that the a priori 5-factor model fit the observed data best—a finding consistent with the previous study. Results of Z tests revealed statistically significant score differences between genders and between high and low academic achievers.     

The Mini-Conference: Teaching Professionalism Through Student Involvement

Professional orientation courses typically provide important knowledge about professional organizations, standards, credentials, and roles. Knowledge alone, however, may not instill a sense of professionalism in counseling students. This article describes one teaching method that seems to foster behaviors and attitudes that characterize professionalism.     

家长参与与小学生学习自我效能的关系研究

参阅国外家长参与的理论研究,结合访谈结果将小学生家长参与确定为情感参与、管理引导参与、行为参与和智力参与四个维度.以4-6年级的小学生为被试,两次取样测试,编制了小学生家长参与问卷,问卷具有较好的信、效度.应用自编的小学生家长参与问卷考察了521名小学生家长参与与其学习自我效能的关系.研究表明:家长参与与小学生的学习自我效能感有显著相关;母亲的智力参与、父亲的情感参与、母亲的情感参与、父亲的智力参与和行为参与对其子女学习自我效能感有预测作用.     

Effect of Social Desirability and Self-Concept Scores on the Measurement of Adjustment

The study represented an attempt to assess the “true” nature of the relationships among measures of social desirability, self-concept, and level of adjustment. Positive linear relationships, of low to moderate magnitudes, were found for all three variables. These data do not support the traditional hypotheses that self-concept tests are saturated with social desirability, that social desirability is the primary component in the measurement of adjustment, nor that self-attitudes are the major variable in adjustment. An alternative system is presented for describing the psychometric relationships among these variables, with implications for viewing non-test correlates.     

The Self-Concept of Welfare Recipients

Do persons receiving welfare feel differently about themselves and others than persons who are not welfare recipients? Does duration of time on welfare have any bearing on these feelings? To answer these questions the writer compared 2 groups of clients who were receiving services from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, using a number of scales that reflected attitudes regarding self and others. One group consisted of clients who were on welfare at the time of application for rehabilitation services and the other group consisted of those who were not. The welfare group was further broken down into 3 groups on the basis of the duration of time that they had been on welfare. No differences were found between any of the groups on self-concept, self-acceptance, ideal-self or concept of others. Some variables that might be masking the hypothesized differences, thus accounting for the present findings, are discussed.     

The Associations between Perceived Maternal Psychological Control and Academic Performance and Academic Self-Concept in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Basic Psychological Needs

This study examined the associations between perceived maternal psychological control and adolescent academic functioning in terms of academic performance and academic self-concept. The study also tested the possible mediating role of basic psychological needs to investigate how parental psychological control is related to child academic functioning. A sample of Chinese adolescents (N?=?338) completed a self-administered questionnaire on maternal psychological control, academic self-concept, academic performance and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used for data analyses. Findings of this study revealed that Chinese adolescents’ perceptions of maternal psychological control were associated with their academic self-concept, and furthermore this association was mediated by adolescents’ basic psychological needs satisfaction on autonomy, relatedness and competence. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as future research directions were discussed.     

The Importance of Student Involvement: A Dialogue with Alexander Astin

This article is based on an interview with Alexander W. Astin, professor of higher education and director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Astin offered several implications of his theory of student involvement for students, faculty members, and administrators. He also commented on excellence as the development of students' talents and on the characteristics of today's college students, as reflected in the findings of an ongoing national study of over 5 million students, 100,000 faculty and staff members, and over 1,200 institutions of higher education.     

Multiplicative Covariance Structure Models in the Analysis of Scores on a Chinese Version of an Academic Self-Concept Scale

The purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of scores on a Chinese version of an academic self-concept measure entitled Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) using composite direct product (CDP) models. Measures of five traits-Level of Aspiration, Anxiety, Academic Interest and Satisfaction, Leadership and Initiative, and Identification vs. Alienation-were obtained from a convenience sample of 769 junior high school students by using self ratings, peer ratings, and parent ratings. The degree of convergent and discriminant validity was moderate to low based on the evaluation in terms of both Campbell and Fiske (1959) guidelines and the comparison of nested multitrait-multimethod CDP models. In particular, concern about the discriminant validity of scores on traits of Level of Aspiration, Academic Interest and Satisfaction, and Identification vs. Alienation was raised. Implications for the use of CDP models in the assessment of construct validity of scores on an academic self-concept measure were discussed.     

Use of the Self-Concept in Forming Preferences by French Students of Different Levels of Academic Achievement

Abstract

According to the results of recent research in France (D. Martinot & J. M. Monteil, 1995), only high-achieving students possessed well-structured academic self-concepts, which, in academic settings, should facilitate the use of a prototype-matching strategy (i.e., a decision-making strategy in which the self-concept guides one's choices). In 2 studies, the authors examined the tendency among French students of different academic levels to use the prototype-matching strategy. In Study 1, the participants of high and average academic achievement, but not those of lower academic achievement, used prototype matching in forming preferences. In Study 2, all participants in the condition (experimental) that facilitated the accessibility of academic self-concepts used prototype matching; the participants in the control condition did not.     

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Academic Self-Concept and Self-Reported Depressed Mood in School Children

In light of literature highlighting gender differences related to academic self-concept and depressed mood, this study explored the contributions of academic self-concept in individual subject areas to self-reported depressed mood in 86 elementary-age boys and girls from a province in central Canada. Results indicated that academic self-concept explained 68% and 62% of the variance in self-reported depressed mood for boys and girls, respectively. Separate analyses conducted for boys and girls indicated disparate predictive models that cohered with gender stereotypic self-perceptions: math for boys and reading for girls. Interestingly, physical education emerged as a significant contributor for boys and girls. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of addressing the relationship between children’s social-emotional self-perceptions and academic self-concept within domain-specific lenses.     

The Impact of Parental Divorce on College Student Development

The author explores the developmental consequences of parental divorce on college students. A critique of the literature in this area and its implications for counselors are provided.     

The Internal/External Frame of Reference Model Revisited: Incorporating General Cognitive Ability and General Academic Self-Concept

An integrative model of the determinants of overall job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and precursors to voluntary turnover was proposed. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment were proposed to arise from overlapping sets of work environment perceptions. A nonrecursive relationship was hypothesized between commitment and satisfaction. Affect (satisfaction and commitment) was proposed to mediate the effects of work environment perceptions on precursors to voluntary turnover. The model was evaluated using data obtained from 1,870 employees of a U.S. telecommunications firm. Hypotheses relating to determinants of commitment and turnover cognitions were largely supported. An asymmetric reciprocal relation was supported between overall job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Future research needs discussed include specification of different causal models for different forms of employee turnover.     

The Effects of Charismatic Leadership on Followers' Self-Concept Accessibility

Shamir, House, and Arthur (1993) suggested that the effects of charismatic leadership on followers' motivation are mediated by the increased salience of collective identities in followers' self-concepts. This study empirically examines the effects of leadership messages on followers' self-concept accessibilities. Charismatic and integrative (combined charismatic and individualized consideration) leadership increased the accessibility of followers' collective self-concepts. Individualized consideration increased the accessibility of followers' private self-concepts. These results support the propositions of the self-concept-based theory of charismatic leadership. Charismatic and integrative leadership messages from a leader resulted in higher follower collective self-concept accessibilities than did routinized messages. This finding underscores the importance of a charismatic leader, even when charismatic messages have become routinized.     

A Comparison of Gifted,General, and Special Learning Needs Students on Academic and Social Self-Concept

The purpose of this study was to compare students identified as gifted, general, and having special learning needs on academic and social self-concept. The three groups of students were identified by their schools according to their academic abilities. Gifted students were selected because of inordinately high academic abilities, those with special learning needs because of inordinate academic difficulties, and general students because their academic abilities were not at either extreme. Junior high school students (N = 243) completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the School Attitude Measure. These measures were given in September and then repeated in May of the same academic year. Gifted students tended to score highest on both academic and social self-concept, although this relationship was influenced somewhat by sex. Students with special learning needs scored lowest on all variables. Differences found in the September testing were maintained in May. Educational implications of these results are elaborated.     

The Whole Student Catalog,an Academic and Career Planning Guide

This article describes an innovative catalog that serves as an orientation manual, career planning guide, directory of student services, and as an easily read college catalog. Procedures for creating, publishing, and revising the book are described. Suggestions for implementation in a variety of institutional and educational settings are given.