Short- and long-term effects of over-reporting of grades on academic self-concept and achievement

Abstract

Theoretical backgroundA number of studies from different research fields have shown that there is a tendency to portray oneself as above average with respect to many individual characteristics. This tendency is most evident for characteristic that are perceived as important (e.g., Brown, 2012). In the academic context, one such important individual characteristic is academic achievement. Indeed, many students are prone to over-report their grades (Kuncel, Credé, & Thomas, 2005), which has been interpreted as a form of self-enhancement strategy (Dickhäuser & Plenter, 2005). Although such self-enhancement strategies were assumed to be adaptive in terms of self-concept and academic achievement, a first longitudinal study by Robins and Beer (2001) showed that self-enhancement was adaptive in the short term but maladaptive in the long term as far as self-esteem, well-being, and achievement are concerned. To date, results obtained by Robins and Beer (2001) have not been replicated. Moreover, no study has examined whether the short-term adaptive effects are partly responsible for the long-term maladaptive effects of self-enhancement on academic achievement. In order to examine such a complex longitudinal relationship, it is imperative to adopt a multivariate approach, as complex relationship between multiple constructs might remain undetected in bivariate approaches such as the one used by Robins and Beer (2001).Research questionThis study examined the short- and long-term effects of self-enhancement (i.e., over-reporting of academic grades) on academic self-concept and academic achievement. In particular, we examined whether the positive short-term effects of self-enhancement are partly responsible for the negative long-term effects.Method916 Swiss ninth-graders participated in three assessments across three years (mean age at T1 = 15.6 years, 56% female). Students reported their last mid-term grades and their self-concepts (SDQ; Marsh & O’Neill, 1984) in mathematics, German, English, and French. Actual mid-term grades were obtained from the school administrations. The longitudinal interplay between self-enhancement, academic self-concept, and academic achievement was examined using a trivariate parallel process latent growth model (TPPLGM). This model allowed us to test whether latent growth parameters of one latent growth model (LGM) predicted those of another LGM.ResultsResults from the PPLGM showed that, in the short term, self-enhancement was positively associated with self-concept but not with achievement, while self-concept was strongly associated with achievement. However, in the long term, self-enhancement had a direct maladaptive effect on academic self-concept and an indirect maladaptive effect on academic achievement that was mediated by inflated academic self-concepts.DiscussionThe present study yielded the first results showing that self-enhancement has adaptive short-term effects on academic-self concept and that these apparently adaptive effects lead to maladaptive developments in academic achievement over time. An inflated academic self-concept might lead to unrealistic expectations and maladaptive learning strategies or reduced learning efforts, which in turn may lead to lower academic achievement. If a decrease in academic achievement is then attributed to external causes, the likelihood of continued self-enhancement increases and a vicious cycle may arise with maladaptive long-term consequences for academic achievement. Implications for research and educational practice are discussed.