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. 2023 Mar;93(1):56-72.
doi: 10.1111/bjep.12539. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

Achievement, self-concept and anxiety in mathematics and English: A three-wave cross-lagged panel study

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Achievement, self-concept and anxiety in mathematics and English: A three-wave cross-lagged panel study

Jing Zhang et al. Br J Educ Psychol. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Many studies (especially cross-sectional ones) have shown signicant links between two of these three constructs-achievement, self-concept and anxiety.

Objectives: Unlike past longitudinal studies that examined only two of these three constructs, this study examines all three, grounded in self-determination theory, control-value theory and transactional theory of anxiety.

Methods: Chinese secondary school students (N = 823) completed questionnaires across three time points covering one school year, and we collected data on their mathematics and second language (L2) English test scores.

Results: Cross-lagged panel models showed equal effect sizes in both pairs of time periods (T1-T2 and T2-T3). In both mathematics and L2 English, (a) achievement, self-concept and anxiety all showed moderate autoregression effects and hence, relative stability, (b) achievement and self-concept showed reciprocal positive effects and (c) self-concept negatively predicted subsequent anxiety. In mathematics but not L2 English, anxiety negatively predicted self-concept, and achievement negatively predicted anxiety, showing domain differences. Self-concept mediated achievement's negative effect on anxiety only in L2 English.

Conclusions: Distinguishing within domain and cross domain effects of achievement, self-concept, and anxiety in mathematics and L2 English deepen our understanding of the relationships among these three constructs.

Keywords: academic anxiety; academic self-concept; longitudinal mediation effects; mathematics achievement; school performance; second language achievement.

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