Sixth-graders' mathematics self-concept and individual interest both decline over one school year¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2030: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Mathematics self-concept showed a small overall decline over the school year, with significant individual variability in initial levels and change. → Lehikoinen 2025 q2 i? Individual interest showed an overall statistically significant decrease over the school year, with significant individual variability. → Lehikoinen 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Lehikoinen 2025¶

Lehikoinen, H., Väisänen, P., Havu-Nuutinen, S., Lappalainen, K., & Niemivirta, M. (2025). Developmental relations between mathematics self-concept, interest, and achievement: A comparison of solo- and co-taught classes. Instructional Science, 53, 239–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-024-09678-4

q2 · i? · causal · r1

Latent growth curve modelling of three-wave questionnaire data from 146 sixth-graders showed a negative self-concept slope. The article reports "a small overall decline in mathematics self-concept over time", with significant slope variance (S² = 0.141, p = .020).

"The results from this model showed a negative slope in students' self-concept (M =−0.081, p = .077), thus indicating a small overall decline in mathematics self-concept over time"

Lehikoinen 2025 (2)¶

Lehikoinen, H., Väisänen, P., Havu-Nuutinen, S., Lappalainen, K., & Niemivirta, M. (2025). Developmental relations between mathematics self-concept, interest, and achievement: A comparison of solo- and co-taught classes. Instructional Science, 53, 239–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-024-09678-4

q2 · i? · causal · r1

Univariate latent growth model for interest in the same three-wave sample showed an overall decrease in individual interest (M = −0.154, p < .001) with significant onset and change variance. No effect size was printed.

"the results showed an overall decrease in individual interest ( M =−0.154, p < .001) as well as significant individual differences in the variance of both the onset ( S2 = 0.938, p < .001) and change over time (S2 = 0.135, p = .017)"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Academic Self-Concept — outcome: instruction changes it
• Interest — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Co-teaching does not differ from solo teaching in the development of students' mathematics self-concept and interest — related
• Girls show less confidence and interest in math and science from early adolescence, and a strong math/science self-concept predicts course choice and performance for both genders — a broader claim this one bears on
• A high proportion of high-performing classmates lowers sixth-graders' situational academic self-concept, an experimental BFLPE at the extreme contrast — related
• A 15-minute exposure to higher-performing virtual classmates did not significantly affect sixth-graders' dispositional domain-specific self-concept — related
• Changes in mathematics self-concept and interest are independent of prior achievement and do not predict later achievement — related
• Both sense of belonging and intentions to persist decline over the first academic year — related
• Variance in ASC change is statistically significant at individual, clique, and classroom levels, with a slight average decline in ASC across the school year — related