Moderators of dimensional comparison effects: A comprehensive replication study putting prior findings on five moderators to the test and going beyond.

We examined the effects of all moderators within a sample of 1,424 students in Germany by conducting latent moderated structural equation modeling within the framework of the internal/external frame of reference model. Only two moderators showed significant influences on the strength of the dimensional comparison effects: The dimensional comparison effects on students’ math and German self-concepts were stronger, the more students believed in the negative interdependence of math and verbal abilities, and the more dissimilar they perceived the subjects math and German to be. These moderating effects also persisted if we integrated both moderators into one model simultaneously. Our findings have important implications for self-concept research and dimensional comparison theory, as well as for educational interventions aiming to foster and regulate students’ self-concepts. Moreover, they illustrate the importance of replication studies in educational psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Source: Journal of Educational Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research