Gender self-confidence, scholastic stress, life satisfaction, and perceived academic achievement for adolescent New Zealanders.

INTRODUCTION: Confidence in one's gender self-concept has been positively associated with subjective well-being. Further, negative consequences for school life have occurred for adolescents with marginalised gender identities. As a central process variable of subjective well-being, life satisfaction has been positively associated with educational outcomes and inversely associated with stress. Stress, life satisfaction, and academic achievement have been examined in terms of gender, but less is known about their relationship with gender self-concept. Importantly, gender self-concept has been rendered especially vulnerable in adolescence-a time when social self-concept and life satisfaction are reportedly lower than in childhood. METHOD: The current study was conducted with adolescents (N = 1601) from seven secondary schools comprising a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities, in two major New Zealand metropolitan centres. Data were collected via self-report survey. After checking the validity of each measurement model by using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling was performed to explore associations between aspects of gender self-concept, stress, life satisfaction (LS), and perceived academic achievement (PAA). RESULTS: Gender self-definition (GSD; one's self-definition of one's own gender identity) was associated positively with stress, and negatively with perceived academic achievement. Gender self-acceptance (GSA; contentment with one's self-defined gender identity) was negatively associated with stress, and positively associated with LS. Both gender self-acceptance and LS were associated positively with PAA. Two stressors mediated the relationship between LS and both GSD and GSA. CONCLUSION: Implications are suggested for fostering gender-identity safe school environments for adolescents to ensure positive wellbeing and scholastic outcomes.

A sample validation of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ) in New Zealand.

The Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ) is a 56-item scale measuring stress in 10 domains. The scale has been tested in a number of countries worldwide with mixed support. The current study tested the factor structure, construct validity, and reliability in a sample (n = 1,601) comprising a general population of adolescents in New Zealand. Support was found for the 10-factor structure with adequate internal consistency as well as strong factorial invariance between male and female participants. Significant inverse correlations were found between all ASQ domains and both life satisfaction and perceived academic achievement. Most ASQ domains revealed gender differences, with female participants reporting greater stress than males. Toward a nonbinary perspective of gender, gender-neutral participants reported greater stress than males and females in certain stress domains. Results based on regression analyses indicate that nonacademic ASQ domains were generally related to life satisfaction whereas academic ASQ domains were related to perceived academic achievement. Positive and negative interaction effects were observed between gender and ASQ domains on life satisfaction and academic achievement. Overall, the current results indicate that the ASQ appears to be a reliable, valid instrument for adolescent stress in New Zealand with relevance to perceived life satisfaction and achievement.

Mathematics Self-Concept in New Zealand Elementary School Students: Evaluating Age-Related Decline.

The underrepresentation of females in mathematics-related fields may be explained by gender differences in mathematics self-concept (rather than ability) favoring males. Mathematics self-concept typically declines with student age, differs with student ethnicity, and is sensitive to teacher influence in early schooling. We investigated whether change in mathematics self-concept occurred within the context of a longitudinal intervention to raise and sustain teacher expectations of student achievement. This experimental study was conducted with a large sample of New Zealand primary school students and their teachers. Data were analyzed using longitudinal multilevel modeling with mathematics self-concept as the dependent variable and time (which represents students' increasing age each year), gender, and ethnicity entered as predictors and achievement in mathematics included as a control variable. Interaction terms were also explored to investigate changes over time for different groups. All students demonstrated a small increase in mathematics self-concept over the 3-year period of the current study but mathematics self-concept was consistently greater for boys than girls. Maori, Asian, and Other students' initial mathematics self-concept was higher than that of New Zealand European and Pacific Islanders' (after controlling for achievement differences). However, a statistically significant decline in mathematics self-concept occurred for Maori students alone by the end of the study. The expected age-related reduction over time in student mathematics self-concept appeared to be mitigated in association with the longitudinal study. Nevertheless, the demonstration of a comparatively lower mathematics self-concept remained for girls overall and declined for Maori. Our results reinforce implications for future research into mathematics self-concept as a possible determinant of female student career choices.