Dear all,



For the next Quant SIG Seminar meeting (Monday, 28th November), Professor Herb Marsh (Department of Education, Oxford University) will bring the 2011 session of talks to a close with his presentation of the following topic:



Celebrating Methodological-Substantive Synergy: Self-concept Theory and Methodological Innovation 



This promises to be an exceptional talk and is an excellent opportunity to explore substantive-quantitative synergy in self-concept research. As usual the Quant SIG will meet in Seminar Room J from 12:15pm-2pm, Department of Education, 28 Norham Gardens, Oxford OX2 7PY. If you do not have access to the building, please contact Patrick Alexander ([log in to unmask]) to arrange access.



We are also looking for presenters to participate in the Quant SIG seminar series for 2012. If you would like to participate, please contact [log in to unmask] for further information. 



Please find the abstract for this week's talk below.



Best wishes,



Patrick Alexander



**

Abstract: My self-concept research programme represents a substantive-quantitative synergy, applying and developing new quantitative approaches to better address substantive issues with important policy implications. Contemporary theory and research shows self-concept to be a multidimensional hierarchical construct with highly differentiated components (academic, social, physical, emotional self-concepts) as well as a global self-esteem; this multidimensionality it a central theme in my research. Self-concept is an important mediating factor that facilitates attainment of many desirable outcomes. In education, for example, a positive academic self-concept (ASC) is reciprocally related to subsequent academic accomplishments. I begin with an overview of my self-concept research in which I address diverse theoretical issues that could not be fully addressed and the development of new methodological approaches to better understand these issues. 



A prime example is the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE). Theory predicts and research shows that equally able students have lower ASCs when attending schools or classes where the school-average ability is high, and higher ASCs when the school-average ability is low. The effect of individual achievement on ASC is positive, but the effect of school-average achievement is negative. BFLPE effects are remarkably robust, generalizing over a wide variety of different individual student characteristics, school settings, countries, and long-term follow-ups. Here I briefly summarize alternative tests of the BFLPE with particular emphasis on evolving quantitative approaches used over the past 25 years. Recently developed doubly-latent models simultaneously control and unconfound unreliability due to measurement error at the individual (L1) and group (L2) levels, and sampling error in the aggregation of individual characteristics to form group level constructs; extensions include latent non-linear effects as well as single-level (L1xL1) and cross-level (L1xL2) latent interactions. This statistical approach has broad applicability to diverse educational studies such as school- or classroom-climate and context research and various value-added models of  school effectiveness.



Other  Substantive issues include:

● Does a positive self-concept ‘cause’ better school performance or is it the other way around?

● Why do self-concepts decline for:

– gifted students who attend selective schools?

– learning disabled students in regular classrooms?

● Are multiple dimensions of self-concept more distinct than multiple intelligences?

● Why do people think of themselves as ‘math’ persons or ‘verbal’ persons?

● Can children as young as 5 or 6 distinguish between multiple dimensions of self-concept?

● Does a positive physical self-concept lead to health-related physical activity?

● Do self-concept models hold up cross-nationally and cross-culturally?

● How do self-concepts of elite swimmers from 30 countries contribute to winning gold medals?

● How did the fall of the Berlin Wall and the resumption of Chinese control of Hong Kong influence self-concepts?



**



Dr. Patrick Alexander

Department of Education, University of Oxford

St. Hugh's College



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