LECTURE EXTENSION The Accuracy and Stability of Academic Self-Assessments (p. 485) The text discusses the drop in self-esteem that often occurs during the first few years of elementary school. Although kindergartners through third graders are able to judge their peers fairly accurately, the self-ratings of most kindergartners and first graders are overly favorable. By second grade, children begin to make social comparisons and their self-evaluations become more realistic. Blatchford (1997) conducted a longitudinal study to examine the accuracy and stability of academic self-assessments among British schoolchildren from age 7 to age 16. Separate self-assessments were made for academic attainment in each of the two content areas of mathematics and reading/English. At ages 7 years, 11 years, and 16 years, participants were shown pictures of three identical groups of children. The first group was said to be good at mathematics (or reading/English) and better at this academic subject than the children in the other groups. The second group was said to be not good in mathematics (or reading/English) and not as good as the other children. Children pictured in the third group were said to be not particularly good and not particularly bad in mathematics (or reading/English). Participants were asked to indicate which group best described them. At 11 years and 16 years, participants were asked to rate themselves twice for each academic content area. The first rating was in comparison to children, in general, who were of their same age. The second rating was in comparison to children in their own class. Between ages 7 and 16, children became more modest in their overall academic self-appraisals. Reading/English self-ratings followed a general pattern of decline from 7 to 16 years. For mathematics, however, self-ratings declined between 7 and 11 years and then remained fairly stable from 11 to 16 years. At age 7, participants' ratings in mathematics were higher than ratings in reading/English. At ages 11 and 16, ratings in reading/English were higher than ratings in mathematics. Also at ages 11 and 16, participants' ratings were lower when the comparison group was their own class than when the comparison group was children in general. The accuracy of academic self-assessments was measured by comparing self-assessments with academic attainment on achievement tests in mathematics and reading/English. At 7 years, participants were not accurate in their assessments of their academic attainment (they tended to overestimate their actual ability). At 11 and 16 years, a significant relationship was found between participants' self-assessments and their actual attainments in each subject area. As self-ratings dropped with age, the ratings became more realistic representations of academic attainment as measured by achievement tests. Blatchford, P. (1997). Students' self assessment of academic attainment: Accuracy and stability from 7 to 16 years and influence of domain and social comparison group. Educational Psychology, 17, 345-359. LEARNING ACTIVITY Conducting a Mock Seminar for Stepparents and their Spouses (pp. 509-510)
Ask students to pretend that they have been invited to speak at a seminar for new stepparents and their spouses. What topics should be addressed? How might blended families work together to make a smooth transition? What conflicts may arise and how should they be dealt with? How can stepparents develop a warm bond with their stepchildren? Where can family members go to get help if problems persist? Also have students make a list of possible questions which may arise during the seminar. How would students respond to these questions/concerns?
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