The Structure of Academic Self-Concepts Revisited

The nested Marsh/Shavelson (NMS) model integrates structural characteristics of academic self-concepts that have proved empirically incompatible in previous studies. Specifically, it conceives of academic self-concepts to be subject specific, strongly separated across domains, and hierarchically organized, with general academic self-concept at the top of the hierarchy. In Part 1 of the present study, data from a representative sample of eighth graders (N = 4,847) from Luxembourg showed that the NMS model captures the structure of self-concepts in six core subjects. In Part 2, the NMS model was integrated into a longitudinal extended internal/external frame-of-reference model. The developmental dynamics between general and subject-specific achievement, as measured in Grade 6, and the corresponding academic self-concepts in Grade 8 were examined, with data from a subsample of students (N = 3,045). Given its theoretical and empirical bases, the NMS model has clear potential to guide future research on academic self-concepts.