Change in Academic Self-Concept and Its Relation with English Proficiency

This study aims to examine the changes in students' subject-specific self-concept and language performance over time and their relationship with each other. The sample consisted of 101 college freshmen drawn from three different levels of ability-grouped English classes. They were tested at the beginning and end of their first school year for their academic self-concept, English listening, and reading proficiency. The purpose of the investigation is to determine (1) whether proficiency level has a significant relation with students' change in academic self-concept or English performance over time, (2) whether the change in students' academic self-concept has any effect on students' overall English performance, and (3) whether the change in students' language performance has any effect on their academic self-concept. The findings show that level does not have a significant relation with change in either students' academic self-concept or English proficiency. Over time, direction of change in English self-concept does not have significant effect on students' English performance, nor does the direction of change in students' English proficiency have significant effect on their academic self-concept. Students whose English self-concept increases are not limited to the ones who have higher English proficiency scores. The results also show that lower-performing students' academic self-concept is more pronouncedly improved during the study, as compared with the other two levels of students. Higher-ability students tend to have more stable academic self-concept. Whereas the English proficiency of the total sample significantly improved, their pre- and post-academic self-concept scores are on the margin of being significantly different..