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How Do Learners Form Their Self-Concepts?

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Towards an Understanding of Language Learner Self-Concept

Part of the book series: Educational Linguistics ((EDUL,volume 12))

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Abstract

This chapter examines the existent literature to consider the extent to which self-concept is believed to be dynamic and which factors may affect its development. In particular, it considers the role of cognitive developmental process, demographic factors, as well as four key additional factors: environment, past achievements, feedback and social comparisons. The chapter also outlines the influential Internal and External Frame of Reference Model (Marsh 1986a, American Educational Research Journal 23(1): 129–149) which is used in psychology to explain the processes by which learners form their domain-specific self-concepts and which serves as the framework underlying the analysis in the following two chapters.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Burns (1982: 10-11) also employs the idea of central, “vital and important” self-concepts and less important, more peripheral self-concept beliefs.

  2. 2.

    http://www.self.ox.ac.uk/Instruments/SDQIII/documents/_1-SDQIII.pdf

    http://www.self.ox.ac.uk/Instruments/documents/SDQI-Chapter1.pdf. Accessed 21 May 2010.

  3. 3.

    The role of task or domain importance can also be seen in expectancy-value models of motivation that consider not only an individual’s sense of expectancy (often measured in terms of self-efficacy) but also their value of a task (Eccles et al. 1993; Wigfield 1994; Wigfield and Eccles 1992, 2000). James (1890/1963) also stressed that a person’s self-esteem is based on their feelings of competence in domains of personal individual value, rather than on general overall feelings of competence (cf. Mruk 2006: 13).

  4. 4.

    The interesting motivational properties of group identities can be found in work on the “need to belong” (Baumeister and Leary 1995).

  5. 5.

    In addition to upward or downward social comparisons, there are a range of behaviours and strategies that learners can engage in, in order to either protect or enhance their self-concepts, such as adjusting their attributions or employing various self-handicapping strategies, e.g., withdrawing effort, procrastination, setting lower goals or avoiding challenge and risk (see, e.g., Collins 1996, 2000; Feick and Rhodewalt 1997; Harris and Snyder 1986; Midgley and Urdan 2001; Thompson 1994; Thomas and Gadbois 2007; Tice 1991; Tice and Baumeister 1990; Wills 1981).

  6. 6.

    Crocker and Wolfe (2001), however, suggest that it is unlikely that any individuals exist with completely noncontingent self-esteem.

  7. 7.

    For a detailed overview of social comparison research see Buunk and Gibbons 2007.

  8. 8.

    Clearly, the internal frames of reference cannot be considered as entirely distinct to and separate from the external. The two interact and influence each other closely and both are embedded within the larger influence of a particular socio-cultural context. For the purposes of this book, it may be more useful to conceive of the two categories in terms of a matter of degree, i.e., a frame of reference is either more or less internal/external, rather than a dichotomous division.

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    Sarah Mercer

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Mercer, S. (2011). How Do Learners Form Their Self-Concepts?. In: Towards an Understanding of Language Learner Self-Concept. Educational Linguistics, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9569-5_4

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