Gender Differences in the Relationship between Achievement and Self-Image During Early Adolescence

This research tested whether the relationship between school achievement and self-image would show different developmental patterns for girls and boys during early adolescence. The study followed 242 subjects from sixth through eighth grade. Multiple correlations and covariance matrix analyses (LISREL) revealed a stronger positive relationship between school achievement and self-image for boys and girls in sixth grade and especially in seventh grade. Longitudinal analyses of covariance matrices, within gender, showed that the relationship between self-image and achievement decreased for girls and increased for boys as they moved from sixth to seventh grade. This trend reversed itself for girls and remained stable for boys between seventh and eighth grade. These finding are discussed in terms of gender intensification and the effects of classroom and social context changes that occur during early adolescence.