Abstract

Dimensional comparisons between math and verbal achievements affect students’ academic self-concepts by increasing (decreasing) students’ self-concept in the subject with their intraindividual higher (lower) achievement. Dimensional comparison theory assumes that dimensional comparisons are also triggered by external influences. The present research aimed to test this assumption by examining whether a minimal intervention, asking students to think more or less intensively about their subject-specific abilities, would affect the strength of dimensional comparison effects. In two experimental studies, N = 415 (Study 1) and N = 204 (Study 2) students from Germany rated their self-concepts in the subjects math and German after they had written down three thoughts about their math abilities and one or five thoughts about their German abilities (Study 1) or after they had written down three thoughts about their German abilities and one or five thoughts about their math abilities (Study 2). As expected, multiple group comparisons showed in particular a stronger negative dimensional comparison effect of students’ German (math) achievement on their math (German) self-concept after students had written down five thoughts instead of one thought about their German (math) abilities. This finding suggests that, as predicted in dimensional comparison theory, external influences can trigger dimensional comparisons.

摘要

数学和语言成绩之间的维度比较通过增加（减少）学生在学科中的自我概念与他们的个体内较高（较低）成绩来影响学生的学业自我概念。维度比较理论假设维度比较也是由外部影响触发的。本研究旨在通过检查最小干预（要求学生或多或少深入思考他们的特定学科能力）是否会影响维度比较效应的强度来检验这一假设。在两项实验研究中，N  = 415（研究 1）和N = 204（研究 2）来自德国的学生在写下关于他们的数学能力的三个想法和关于他们的德语能力的一到五个想法（研究 1）或在他们写下之后，对他们在数学和德语科目中的自我概念进行评分关于他们的德语能力的三个想法和关于他们的数学能力的一到五个想法（研究 2）。正如预期的那样，在学生写下五个想法而不是一个关于他们的德语（数学）能力的想法后，多组比较特别表明学生的德语（数学）成就对其数学（德语）自我概念的负维度比较效应更强. 这一发现表明，正如维度比较理论所预测的那样，外部影响可以触发维度比较。