Social anxiety and self-concept in adolescence

This study analyzes the relationships between social anxiety and dimensions of self-concept in a sample of 2022 (50.1% males) Spanish adolescents, ranging in age from 12 to 16 year-olds. The social anxiety was assessed by the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), and self-concept was measured with the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II). Logistic regression analyses show that adolescents with social anxiety are more likely to negatively perceive their relationship with opposite sex peers and have lower scores in self-esteem than students without social anxiety. Furthermore, in most logistic models, students with social anxiety also show a higher probability of perceiving their relation with peers of the same sex in a negative way, considering worse student, less attractive and athletic, and more emotional instable than students without social anxiety. The relevance of sex and grade in the relationship between social anxiety and self-concept in adolescence is discussed.

An explanatory model of academic achievement based on aptitudes, goal orientations, self-concept and learning strategies

As a result of studies examining factors involved in the learning process, various structural models have been developed to explain the direct and indirect effects that occur between the variables in these models. The objective was to evaluate a structural model of cognitive and motivational variables predicting academic achievement, including general intelligence, academic self-concept, goal orientations, effort and learning strategies. The sample comprised of 341 Spanish students in the first year of compulsory secondary education. Different tests and questionnaires were used to evaluate each variable, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to contrast the relationships of the initial model. The model proposed had a satisfactory fit, and all the hypothesised relationships were significant. General intelligence was the variable most able to explain academic achievement. Also important was the direct influence of academic self-concept on achievement, goal orientations and effort, as well as the mediating ability of effort and learning strategies between academic goals and final achievement.

Goal Orientation Profiles and Self-Concept of Secondary School Students

The objective of this study is to identify possible combinations of multiple goals that lead to different goal orientation profiles and to determine whether there are significant group differences in self-concept dimensions. The Achievement Goals Tendencies Questionnaire (AGTQ) and the Self-Description Questionnaire-II (SDQ-II) were administered to a sample of 2,022 students of Compulsory Secondary education, ranging in age from 12 to 16 years (M = 13.81, SD = 1.35). Cluster analysis identified four profiles of motivational goals: a group of students with a generalized high motivation profile, a group of students with generalized low motivation profile, a group of students with a predominance of learning goals and achievement goals, and a last group of students with a predominance of achievement goals and social reinforcement goals. Results reveal statistically significant differences among the profiles obtained regarding self-concept dimensions.

The Influence of Gender, Intellectual Ability, Academic Self-Concept, Self-Regulation, Learning Strategies, Popularity and Parent Involvement in Early Adolescence

The present study examined the predictive effects of gender, intellectual ability, self-concept, motivation, learning strategies, popularity and parent involvement on academic achievement. Hiearchical regression analysis were performed with six steps in which each variable was included, among a sample of 1398 high school students (mean age = 12.5; standard deviation = .67) of eight education centers from the province of Alicante (Spain). The results revealed significant predictive effects of all of the variables, explaining 59.1% of the total variance.

Prosocial behavior and self-concept of Spanish students of Compulsory Secondary Education

This study analyzed the relationship between prosocial behavior and self-concept dimensions in a sample of 2022 Spanish students (51.1% males) of Compulsory Secondary Education. The prosocial behavior was measured with the Prosocial Behavior scale of the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills (TISS) and the self-concept was measured with the Self-Description Questionnaire-II (SDQ-II). Logistic regression analyses revealed that prosocial behavior is a positive and significant statistically predictor of high scores on the following self-concept dimensions: physical ability, parent relations, same-sex relations, opposite-sex relations, verbal, school, trustworthiness, and self-esteem. Those results were found in males, females and every Compulsory Secondary education year. However, prosocial behavior is not a significant statistically predictor of high scores on physical appearance, math, and emotional stability.

Self-Description Questionnaire II (versión breve): evidencia de fiabilidad y validez en una muestra de adolescentes chilenos

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la fiabilidad y validez de las puntuaciones de la versión breve del Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II-S) en población chilena. La muestra se compuso de 1255 adolescentes chilenos, con un rango de edad de 13 a 17 años (M = 15.10; DT = 1.30). El análisis factorial confirmatorio corroboró la estructura original de 11 factores correlacionados del SDQ-II-S. La multidimensionalidad del cuestionario también fue avalada por la pequeña magnitud de las correlaciones entre los 11 factores (M = 0.26). Los coeficientes alfa de Cronbach variaron desde 0.70 hasta 0.84, y se destacó una adecuada fiabilidad. Para profundizar en el análisis de la validez de constructo del SDQ-II-S, se relacionaron las puntuaciones de las diferentes escalas con puntuaciones en medidas de ansiedad (Inventario de Ansiedad Estado-Rasgo) y autoeficacia (Escala de Autoeficacia Percibida Específica de Situaciones Académicas). Los resultados pusieron de manifiesto que estos cuestionarios permiten analizar constructos diferenciados aunque relacionados. Los datos de este trabajo destacan que el SDQ-II-S presenta adecuadas propiedades psicométricas en población chilena, contrarrestando las carencias existentes en lo que respecta a la evaluación del autoconcepto, y resaltan interesantes aplicaciones tanto en el ámbito aplicado como en el de la investigación.

A structural model of cognitive-motivational variables as explanatory factors of academic achievement in Spanish Language and Mathematics

In recent years, several explanatory models have been developed which attempt to analyse the predictive worth of various factors in relation to academic achievement, as well as the direct and indirect effects that they produce. The aim of this study was to examine a structural model incorporating various cognitive and motivational variables which influence student achievement in the two basic core skills in the Spanish curriculum: Spanish Language and Mathematics. These variables included differential aptitudes, specific self-concept, goal orientations, effort and learning strategies. The sample comprised 341 Spanish students in their first year of Compulsory Secondary Education. Various tests and questionnaires were used to assess each student, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to study the relationships in the initial model. The proposed model obtained a satisfactory fit for the two subjects studied, and all the relationships hypothesised were significant. The variable with the most explanatory power regarding academic achievement was mathematical and verbal aptitude. Also notable was the direct influence of specific self-concept on achievement, goal-orientation and effort, as was the mediatory effect that effort and learning strategies had between academic goals and final achievement.

Diferencias de género y edad en autoconcepto en estudiantes adolescentes chilenos

Investigaciones previas han puesto de manifiesto la importancia del estudio del autoconcepto durante la adolescencia. El objetivo de este estudio consistió en analizar las diferencias de género y edad en las distintas dimensiones del autoconcepto en una muestra de 1414 estudiantes chilenos de entre 13 y 18 años. El autoconcepto fue evaluado mediante la versión breve del SDQII. Los resultados evidenciaron diferencias de género para las dimensiones Autoconcepto Verbal, Apariencia Física, Sinceridad/Veracidad y Autoestima en favor de las jóvenes, así como diferencias en el Autoconcepto Matemático, Habilidades Físicas, Estabilidad Emocional y Relación con los Padres en favor de los varones. También se observó una tendencia en los alumnos de mayor edad a puntuar más alto en Autoconcepto Académico General, Habilidades Físicas, Apariencia Física, Relaciones con el Sexo Opuesto y Autoestima, que sus iguales de menor edad. Este mismo patrón, pero a la inversa, se obtuvo para las dimensiones de Autoconcepto Matemático, Verbal y Estabilidad Emocional. Los resultados no replicaron la tendencia de los varones, reportada en estudios previos, a valorar más positivamente su físico y a poseer una autoestima más elevada que las mujeres, así como a percibir más negativamente sus relaciones paterno-filiales.

Actitudes hacia las matemáticas y rendimiento académico en función de los estudios de acceso y curso en futuros maestros

En este trabajo se analizan las actitudes hacia las Matemáticas de los estudiantes del Grado en Educación Primaria de la Universidad de A Coruña en función del curso y de los estudios de acceso a la Universidad. También se estudia el rendimiento académico según estas dos variables. Se aplica el cuestionario de actitudes PAC de Naya, Soneira, Mato y Torre (2014) con una fiabilidad Alfa de Cronbach de 0.921 a una muestra de 307 estudiantes. El instrumento está formado por 19 ítems con cinco opciones de respuesta tipo Likert y tres dimensiones que miden el autoconcepto, la percepción que tiene el alumno de su profesor y el agrado hacia las Matemáticas. Los resultados muestran que existen diferencias significativas en las actitudes y en el rendimiento en función del itinerario de acceso a la titulación.

Academic Achievement in Early Adolescence: The Influence of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Variables

The present study examined the predictive effects of intellectual ability, self-concept, goal orientations, learning strategies, popularity and parent involvement on academic achievement. Hierarchical regression analysis and path analysis were performed among a sample of 1398 high school students (mean age = 12.5; SD =.67) from eight education centers from the province of Alicante (Spain). Cognitive and non-cognitive variables were measured using validated questionnaires, whereas academic achievement was assessed using end-of-term grades obtained by students in nine subjects. The results revealed significant predictive effects of all of the variables. The model proposed had a satisfactory fit, and all of the hypothesized relationships were significant. These findings support the importance of including non-cognitive variables along with cognitive variables when predicting a model of academic achievement.

Capacidad predictiva de la autoeficacia académica sobre las dimensiones del autoconcepto en una muestra de adolescentes chilenos

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la capacidad predictiva de la autoeficacia académica sobre las dimensiones del autoconcepto en una muestra de 860 estudiantes chilenos. El análisis de regresión logística reveló que la autoeficacia académica fue un predictor positivo y significativo de las escalas académicas (Matemáticas, Verbal y Académica General), no académicas (Habilidades Físicas, Apariencia Física, Relaciones con el Sexo Opuesto, Relaciones con el Mismo Sexo, Relación con los Padres, Sinceridad- Veracidad), y de la escala de Autoestima, excepto de la escala de Estabilidad Emocional. Esta relación de predicción fue de mayor magnitud con las escalas académicas y autoestima.