Who Am I and What Can I Do? Children's Self-Concepts and Motivation in Achievement Situations

We review recent theoretical and empirical work on children's self-concept development and how their self-concepts motivate their behavior in achievement situations. Several important issues regarding the self-concept are considered, including what beliefs make up the self-concept, how those beliefs are structured, how the self-concept differs across age and between boys and girls, and how specific aspects of the self-concept relate to an individual's overall self-evaluation. Theoretical views and research on how children's self-concepts relate to their motivation in achievement settings are presented, as is work on how the self-concept guides achievement behavior. We address the issue of causal direction in the relation between the self-concept and achievement. Suggestions for future research are provided.