Assessing self-concept in children: Variations across self-concept domains

Multidimensional models of self, emphasizing variations in self-perceptions across areas of one's life, have led to new, domain-specific self report m easures. Two of the most widely used multidimensional self-concept question naires were compared in Study 1 in a sample of 217 preadolescents. The two measures were highly correlated and comparable in reliability, stability, s ubscale interrelations, and associations with others' evaluations. In Study 2 a wider variety of self assessments (interviews, questionnaires, self-ra tings) across domains were compared in a sample of 161 preadolescents. Resu lts indicated that the correspondence among different self-assessment appro aches as well as between self and others' perceptions varied as a function of the domain tapped. The observed domain variation may relate to the type of information children use to evaluate their competencies across domains.