The role of academic self-concept and interest in determining academic achievement

![CDATA[Do positive self-perceptions lead to higher levels of achievement? If so, what is more important – self-concept or interest? In two large-scale, longitudinal German studies (Study 1: N = 5,649; Study 2: N = 2,264) we evaluate the reciprocal effects of prior academic interest, self-concept, and achievement on subsequent academic interest, self-concept, and achievement. Consistent with previous reciprocal effects studies of academic achievement and self-concept, structural equation models demonstrated that prior self-concept influences subsequent achievement beyond the effects of prior achievement, and prior achievement influences subsequent self-concept beyond the effect of prior self-concept. Extending previous results, prior self-concept significantly influenced subsequent measures of academic interest, school grades, and achievement test scores beyond the effects of earlier measures of each of these constructs. In contrast, prior academic interest had small effects on subsequent academic self-concept and little or no effects on either school grades or test scores. More strongly than previous structural equation modeling research, the results of the present investigation demonstrate the positive effects of academic self-concept on a variety of different academic outcomes.]]