Separation of competency and affect components of multiple dimensions of academic self-concept: A developmental perspective

In two large confirmatory factor analyses (Ns = 11,029 and 1,397) of Self-D escription Questionnaire (SDQ-I) responses, we examined how the separation of competency and affect components of reading, math, and school self-conce pt varies across ages 7-13. The SDQ-I factor structure was well defined wit h factor loadings invariant over both longitudinal and cross-sectional age comparisons. Correlations among reading, math, and school self-concepts sys tematically decreased with age, but correlations between competency and aff ect within each domain remained consistently large. With age and developmen t, students more clearly distinguish between different academic self-concep t domains, but the relation between intrinsic liking and competency remains strong. We tentatively recommend that researchers distinguish between comp etency and affect components of academic self-concept, qualified by the nee d to evaluate further the construct validity of this separation in relation to additional external validity criteria.