The underestimated role of effort in ability self-concept formation: Preliminary evidence for another major comparison process
Debatin T, Stoeger H, Ziegler A (2027)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2027
Journal
Book Volume: 107
Article Number: 102471
DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2026.102471
Abstract
Background: Early studies found that, among individuals with equal achievement, those perceived to exert less effort were rated as having greater ability (i.e. there was a negative relationship between effort and ability), leading to proposals that effort-achievement comparisons are highly influential in forming ability self-concepts. We argue that effort-achievement comparisons have been neglected in recent research due to large-scale studies failing to confirm the early findings. However, this may be because these studies have shifted their focus to a different type of effort: goal-driven effort, meaning perceived effort an individual actively chooses to invest. Aims: This study examines whether the negative relationship between effort and ability self-concepts among individuals with equal achievement can be confirmed when effort is operationalized more similarly to the earlier studies, as so-called data-driven effort, meaning perceived effort resulting from task requirements. Sample: Participants were 448 ninth-grade students from Germany. Method: Data-driven effort, achievements (school grades) and ability self-concepts in the domains of STEM and languages were assessed. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. Results: There was a strong negative relationship between data-driven effort and ability self-concepts in the two domains when controlling for achievements in the domains. Conclusions: In line with older self-concept research, these findings suggest that there is another influential comparison process, in which data-driven effort is compared with achievements, a topic that merits further investigation in future research.
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Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Debatin, T., Stoeger, H., & Ziegler, A. (2027). The underestimated role of effort in ability self-concept formation: Preliminary evidence for another major comparison process. Learning and Instruction, 107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2026.102471
MLA:
Debatin, Tobias, Heidrun Stoeger, and Albert Ziegler. "The underestimated role of effort in ability self-concept formation: Preliminary evidence for another major comparison process." Learning and Instruction 107 (2027).
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