Adolescent Identity and Self-Perception As Predictors of Scholastic Achievement

Abstract

The “Who Am I?” question purports to be a measure of identity development. This question was asked of 150 girls and 167 boys, all of whom were rural Wisconsin high-school seniors. This and additional non-intellectual variables relating to self-concept of ability and self-expectations were used with a measure of mental ability to predict scholastic achievement. All were positively related to achievement and to each other. Girls’ self-expectations, however, was not a satisfactory predictor of achievement; nor was boys’ identity development. It was inferred that girls tended to be more realistic while boys were more idealistic in terms of self-expectations. Boys’ identity development was less mature and more diversified than girls’ identity development.