Ethnic Differences in the Measurement of Academic Self-Concept in a Sample of African American and European American College Students

This study examined the validity and reliability of scores on the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS) in a group of 291 European American and 396 African American college students. The study compared the factor structure and scale and subscale internal consistencies for these samples to previously reported findings by Reynolds. The seven-factor solution reported by Reynolds was essentially replicated with the European American sample, whereas an eight-factor solution was found with the African American sample. Results suggest that there are important ethnic differences in the structure of academic self-concept regarding beliefs about ability, and the relationship between effort and grades.