This study provides further support for the affect-competence separation. Theoretical issues regarding adequate conceptualization and practical consequences for practitioners are discussed.

Highlights  We examine academic self-concept (ASC) formation in the verbal and math domain  We focus on internal and external comparison effects in one unifying model  Individual achievement (ACH) is positively related to ASC within a domain  Individual ACH is negatively related to ASC across domains  Class-average ACH shows negative within-domain and positive cross-domain effects Abstract Given its eminent role in student learning and development, it is important to understand how academic self-concept (i.e., how one perceives oneself in an academic context) is formed. Both internal and external comparisons are considered crucial antecedents: Students form their academic self-concept to a considerable extent by (externally) comparing themselves with others and by (internally) comparing their own performance in different academic domains. Building on previous research in secondary education, the main goal of this study is to test a model integrating both comparison processes in elementary education using a large sample of Grade 4 students (N = 4,436) nested in 241 classes. Including the proposed internal and external reference effects in one integrated model, the study provided evidence for the presence of both comparison effects on two academic self-concept domains (i.e., math and verbal self-concept).Specifically, students' achievement in one domain was positively related to self-concept in that domain and negatively related to self-concept in the other domain. Additionally, class-average achievement was negatively related to academic self-concept within each domain and positively across domains. In conclusion, this study stresses the need for further integration of the major models on academic self-concept formation in a unifying theoretical framework. Key-words: academic self-concept; internal comparison; external comparison; elementary education; internal-external frame of reference model; big-fish-little-pond effect.

Researchers should interpret the results of causal ordering studies discerningly because the type of measure chosen as an indicator of achievement might affect the causal pattern between academic self-concept and achievement.

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BE02-KA200-000462 A c c e p t e d E u r o p e a n J o u r n a l o f P s y c h o l o g y o f E d u c a t i o n EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF AT-RISK STUDENTS 2 At-risk at the gate: Prediction of study success of first-year Science and Engineering students in an open-admission university in Flanders Any incremental validity of study strategies?