Summary of Psychological Concepts of Self in Learning

## Introduction Learner self-concept and motivation examine how students see themselves as learners, how those self-views shape effort and persistence, and how teachers can influence development of productive learning identities. This material breaks the topic into clear parts: components of the self, how self-views affect motivation, teacher roles and classroom effects, and practical classroom strategies to support learners. ## Components of the Self (broken down) ### Identity > Identity: How people see themselves in society and in different roles; shaped by culture, language, relationships and experiences. - Identity is broad and socially situated: roles (student, friend, family member) and group memberships (cultural, linguistic). - Context matters: a learner may enact different identities in class, at home, or online. ### Self-esteem > Self-esteem: An emotional, global sense of self-worth or value. - Holistic and affective: influences general confidence and emotional resilience. - High self-esteem often correlates with greater willingness to take risks; low self-esteem can lead to avoidance. ### Self-concept > Self-concept: A person’s perception of their abilities in specific domains. - Domain-specific: e.g., confident in speaking but weak in grammar. - More cognitive and evaluative than self-esteem. ### Self-efficacy > Self-efficacy: Belief in one’s capability to succeed in a specific task or context (Albert Bandura). - Task-specific and predictive of persistence, effort, and coping with difficulty. - Higher self-efficacy leads learners to try harder and persist longer. ## How self-views affect motivation and learning - Learners who understand their strengths and limitations regulate learning better: monitoring progress, selecting strategies, and evaluating outcomes. - Learner agency grows when students take responsibility for choices, set goals, and act on them. ### Self-regulation and agency - Self-regulation: planning, monitoring, and adjusting learning behaviors. - Agency: intentional action and ownership of learning; arises from accurate self-knowledge and confidence. Practical example: A student who accurately judges they need more speaking practice plans weekly conversation sessions, monitors progress, and adjusts strategies (e.g., switching partners or topics). ## Classroom social effects and teacher influence ### The Pygmalion Effect > Pygmalion Effect: When teachers hold high expectations, students often perform better as a result. - Mechanism: teacher expectations influence behaviors (feedback, attention), which shape student self-views and performance. ### The Golem Effect > Golem Effect: Low teacher expectations can reduce student motivation and achievement. - Mechanism: negative expectations lower support and opportunities, producing self-fulfilling poor outcomes. ### Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect > Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect: Students may feel more competent when surrounded by weaker peers and less competent in a stronger group. - Implication: classroom composition affects self-concept; compare carefully when designing groupings. ### Social comparison (upward and downward) - Upward social comparison: comparing with stronger peers can motivate improvement but may reduce confidence if perceived as unattainable. - Downward social comparison: comparing with weaker peers can boost confidence but may reduce drive to improve. ## Self-handicapping and defensive strategies > Self-handicapping: Behaviours that create excuses for potential failure to protect self-esteem (e.g., procrastination, claiming not to have tried). - Examples: not studying before a test, saying "I didn’t even try." These protect self-image but harm achievement. - Teachers should recognize signs and address underlying beliefs rather than merely punish behaviour. ## Teacher practices to support positive self-concept and motivation ### Building self-efficacy and L2 confidence (without repeating specialized coverage of L2 self-c