Mathematics and Science Self-Concept: An International Investigation

Abstract

Using data from different countries, the author conducted an international investigation of the relationship between mean country mathematics and science self-concept and respective mean country achievement and geographic region. In addition, the relationship between self-concept and gender and age was compared for the different countries. Findings showed, at the student level, an overall positive relationship between achievement and self-concept in the countries investigated. However, at the country level, a negative relationship was found. Overall, there was a gender gap in favor of males and a developmental gap suggesting that mathematics and science self-concept decline as students grow older. Implications for mathematics and science education are discussed.

Factors Related To University Entrance Examination Achievement: A Case Study from Turkey

“…Başarı algısı, öğrencinin okulla ilişkili öz-benliğinin anahtar bileşenidir (Bong ve Skaalvik, 2003). Başarı ile matematik ve fen bilgisi öz-benliği arasında pozitif ilişki olduğunu çeşitli çalışmalar göstermiştir (Chiu ve Xihua, 2008;Liu ve Meng, 2010;Wilkins, 2004;Yoshino, 2012;Shen ve Pedulla, 2000). Akademik öz-benliğin ilgiyi etkilediği gösterilmesine karşın (Krapp 2000;Köller, Baumert ve Schnabel, 2001), ilginin öz-benlik üzerindeki etkisi oldukça azdır (Marsh, Trautwein, Lüdtke, Köller, ve Baumert, 2005).…”

Yes we can achieve in mathematics and why we don't : African American female eleventh and twelfth grade students in a career and technical setting.

“…This result was also obtained at the international level by Wilkins, Zembylas, and Travers (2002) in their study reviewing TIMSS data for16 countries and by Wilkins (2004) in his study reviewing TIMSS data for 41 countries and 290,000 students. In a similar study, Rinn, McQueen, Clark, and Rumsey (2008) found a positive relationship between mathematics achievement and mathematics self-concept among 181 gifted students.…”

“…Academic self-concept includes a comparison in competence from one subject domain to another (i.e., from reading to mathematics) and from one student to another (Cokley, 2000;Marsh, 1990;Rinn, McQueen, Clark, & Rumsey, 2008). In general, researchers report that students' in elementary school exhibit a stronger self-concept than those in high school (Linver & Davis-Kean, 2005;Wilkins, 2004;Wilkins & Ma, 2003).…”

“…Also, Plucker and Stocking (2001) corroborated these findings in their noteworthy study investigating the self-concept of high achieving students. All aforementioned studies clearly suggest that individuals who report a strong academic self-concept, on average, experience high levels of academic achievement (Marsh & Craven, 1997;Wilkins, 2004). Similarly, after conducting a study of 120 New Jersey students (63 boys and 57 girls) transitioning from elementary school to middle school, Chung, Elias, and Schneider (1998) reported that "self-concept was linked positively to academic achievement and negatively to psychological distress in both genders ... " (p.89).…”

“…In recent years, a number of researchers have suggested that the affective variable academic self-concept is positively and consistently related to academic achievement (Areepattamannil & Freeman, 2008;Cokley, 2002;Cokley & Chapman, 2008;Marsh, 1990;Okeke, Howard, Kurtz-Costes, & Rowley, 2009;Valentine, Dubois, & Cooper, 2004;Wilkins, 2004). Marsh and Hau (2004), in a cross-cultural study involving 55,577…”