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The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of family attributes on college students' academic self-concept. Family attributes include family communication, parental education, family structure, and parental involvement in activities such as arts and crafts, sports, and music. One hundred and fifty-five college students from a diverse private university completed the Academic Self-Concept Scale and a self-reported family attributes questionnaire. Results revealed that a family structure of two parents at home is associated with higher academic self-concept than a single parent home. In addition, parents who praise their children and partake in family activities such as arts and crafts, tend to have children with higher academic self-concepts. The present study shows that parents continue to influence their child's development into the college years.
A student's perceived academic ability is associated with academic achievement (Cokley, 2000; Song & Hattie 1984). In a sample of 230 college students, Choi (2005) found academic self-concept was a significant predictor of academic grades. Kornilova, Kornilov, and Chumakova (2009) found that subjective evaluations of intelligence and academic self-concept accounted for 42% of the variance in a student's grade point average (GPA). The current question is what factors influence academic self-concept? Specifically, what factors affect college students' perceived ability within an academic setting?
The present study was designed to investigate what family attributes, if any, affect college students' academic self-concept. Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory has been used to understand academic behavior (Bandura, 1993; Lent, Brown, & Gore, 1997; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). The theory suggests that an individual's perceived belief about his/her ability to perform a specific task can have an effect on actual performance. Self-efficacy beliefs help determine choice of activities, level of effort, persistence, and quality of work (Lent et al., 1997). Bandura's (1986) theory further posits that people's self-efficacy varies depending on the activity domain. For example, a young adolescent may perceive himself as having strong athletic skills but weak academic skills. Within a specific domain, it is possible that individuals may even hold specific beliefs such as being good at math but questionable beliefs about their academic ability in general. However, studies show that a conviction that one is a good overall student takes precedence over beliefs regarding a particular subject (Lent...