CAUSAL ORDERING OF ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT AND ACADEMIC-ACHIEVEMENT - A MULTIWAVE, LONGITUDINAL PANEL ANALYSIS

There is surprisingly little sound research on the causal ordering of academic self-concept and academic achievement in longitudinal panel studies, despite its theoretical and practical significance. Data collected in Grades 10, 11, 12, and one year after graduation from high school that were used in this study come from the large (N = 1,456 students), nationally representative Youth in Transition study. It was found that reported grade averages in Grades 11 and 12 were significantly affected by academic self-concept measured the previous year, whereas prior reported grades had no effect on subsequent measures of academic self-concept. The results provide one of the few defensible demonstrations of prior academic self-concept influencing subsequent academic achievement, and the study appears to be methodologically stronger than previous research.