TY - JOUR

T1 - Diferencias de género y de rendimiento en los auto-conceptos de los alumnos de Secundaria

T2 - más allá de la comparación bivariable

AU - Faber, Günter

PY - 2013/12/1

Y1 - 2013/12/1

N2 - Introduction. Against the background of contradictory research findings in the field the present study aimed at unraveling the structural complexities of gender differences in secondary students' verbal self-concepts and, thus, analyzing possible gender × achievement interaction effects in the L1 German and L2 English language subject. According to an internal distress perspective significantly depressed self-concept scores for the female learners, in particular, at the low achievement level were assumed. Method. Data were gathered in a sample of 256 ninth grade students from German inner-city grammar schools. For measuring students' L1 and L2 self-concept two subject-specific scales were administered. For measuring their achievement in each language subject teacher competence ratings as well as (self-reported) marks were used. Results. With respect to the L1 German language subject, only a significant main effect of the achievement variable was found. Neither a gender effect nor an achievement × gender interaction could be demonstrated. Therefore, interindividually existing self-concept differences in favor of the female learners appeared to largely reflect their better achievement in the native language subject. With respect to the L2 language subject, likewise a significant main effect of the achievement variable but also a significant gender × achievement interaction effect occurred. Within the low achieving subgroup the female learners displayed substantially lower self-concept scores than their male counterparts - at least concerning the latest mark criterion. Hence, they more strongly suffered from internal distress. Discussion. Especially, in the L2 English language subject a gender × achievement interaction effect could significantly explain differences in the learners' self-concept. Consequently, these differences cannot merely ascribed to a gendered view of language subjects - which commonly favors the female learners. Gender stereotyping effects will operate in a more complex manner. In particular, they appear to affect the students' self-concept not primarily as a matter of subject rather as a matter of cognitive- motivational processing in the case of individually cumulated failure experiences - thus evidently unfavoring the female learners. However, the findings considerably differed across both the L1 and the L2 language subject and, thus, still need further clarification

AB - Introduction. Against the background of contradictory research findings in the field the present study aimed at unraveling the structural complexities of gender differences in secondary students' verbal self-concepts and, thus, analyzing possible gender × achievement interaction effects in the L1 German and L2 English language subject. According to an internal distress perspective significantly depressed self-concept scores for the female learners, in particular, at the low achievement level were assumed. Method. Data were gathered in a sample of 256 ninth grade students from German inner-city grammar schools. For measuring students' L1 and L2 self-concept two subject-specific scales were administered. For measuring their achievement in each language subject teacher competence ratings as well as (self-reported) marks were used. Results. With respect to the L1 German language subject, only a significant main effect of the achievement variable was found. Neither a gender effect nor an achievement × gender interaction could be demonstrated. Therefore, interindividually existing self-concept differences in favor of the female learners appeared to largely reflect their better achievement in the native language subject. With respect to the L2 language subject, likewise a significant main effect of the achievement variable but also a significant gender × achievement interaction effect occurred. Within the low achieving subgroup the female learners displayed substantially lower self-concept scores than their male counterparts - at least concerning the latest mark criterion. Hence, they more strongly suffered from internal distress. Discussion. Especially, in the L2 English language subject a gender × achievement interaction effect could significantly explain differences in the learners' self-concept. Consequently, these differences cannot merely ascribed to a gendered view of language subjects - which commonly favors the female learners. Gender stereotyping effects will operate in a more complex manner. In particular, they appear to affect the students' self-concept not primarily as a matter of subject rather as a matter of cognitive- motivational processing in the case of individually cumulated failure experiences - thus evidently unfavoring the female learners. However, the findings considerably differed across both the L1 and the L2 language subject and, thus, still need further clarification

KW - Foreign language learning

KW - Gender differences

KW - Internal distress

KW - Language proficiency

KW - Verbal self-concepts

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84890401078&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.14204/ejrep.31.13066

DO - 10.14204/ejrep.31.13066

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84890401078

VL - 11

SP - 665

EP - 692

JO - Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology

JF - Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology

SN - 1699-5880

IS - 31

ER -