Relation of Self-Concepts to Beginning Achievement in Reading

Self‐Concept and School Adjustment

“…That the self-concept is highly related to emotional adjustment was confirmed by the .62 r (p < .001) between scores on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale and those on the California Test of Personality. In contrast to previous findings (Wattenberg & Clifford, 1964), a significant correlation (p < .01) of .31 was obtained between self-concept and mental ability. In addition, the analysis January,1968 479 revealed a .31 r (p < .01) between selfconcept and reading achievement, and a .33 r (p < .01) between self-concept and mathematical achievement.…”

“…Although research has indicated a positive relationship between self-concept and school achievement, the relationship between self-concept and intellectual ability appears considerably more tenuous. Wattenberg and Clifford (1964) did not obtain a significant relationship between the self-concept and intellectual ability at the kindergarten level. But what is the effect on self-esteem of several years of negative feedback for the low-ability child in the typical academic situation?…”

Self‐Concept and School Achievement: Interaction Dynamics and a Tool for Assessing the Self‐Concept Component

“…Conversely, there is data indicating that the level of school achievement is influenced by one's self-concept of ability. For example, Wattenberg and Clifford (1964) found that self-concept scores of kindergarten children predicted reading achievement more accurately than did intelligence tests. In a study involving 53 elementary children, students who started out with high opinions of themselves not only spent more time working on school-related tasks than did low-self-concept students but also improved their self-concepts because of the rewards associated with getting things done (Shiffler, Lynch-Sauer, & Nadelman, 1977).…”

Cultural Conflicts: An Important Factor in the Academic Failures of American Indian Students

“…Low self-esteem, directly related to group identity, is the major cause of the low achievement records of American Indian students (Wilson & Black, 1978). Support for the relationship between self-concept and school achievement has been established by Caplin (1969), Purkey (1970), Wattenburg and Clifford (1964), and Williams and Cole (1968).…”