Abstracts - Earli

C 1029 August 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: 0.100DSymposiumBenefits and risks of bias in self-evaluations of academic competenceChair: Therese Bouffard, University of Quebec, CanadaOrganiser: Therese Bouffard, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, CanadaDiscussant: Ruth Butler, Hebrew University, IsraelWhether or not positive illusions about the self are characteristics of well-being and successfuldevelopmental adaptation is a controversial issue in the literature. In the academic context, it hasbeen repeatedly showed that students’ positive self-perceptions are linked to their motivation,persistence, self-regulation and achievement. However what happens when those perceptions areinflated and detract from true competence? Several scholars and clinicians (e.g. Bandura, 1986;Hoffman, Cole, Martin, Tram, & Seroczynski, 2000; Taylor & Brown, 1994) argue that positivebias about the self is adaptive because it acts as an inner resource that fuel the motivation to learn,promotes persistence in face of difficulties and protects from negative emotions. On the other sideof the debate, researchers (Baumeister, Smart, & Boden, 1996; Colvin, Block, & Funder, 1995)believe that unrealistic positive self-perceptions is conducive to faulty evaluation of situations andthus to either expose oneself to unattainable goals or to adopt self-defeating or self-handicappingstrategies. It is not yet clear which of the two perspectives best describes the impact of positiveillusions about the self. The general purpose of this symposium is to further examine this issue. Allfour studies investigated the issue in the realm of the cognitive domain but involved samples ofdifferent ages. By putting together results of research from four countries, France, Greece,Germany and Quebec, this symposium may help to identify both positive and negative correlatesof positively biased self-perceptions. Empirical results concerning the benefits and risks of bias inacademic self-evaluation are particularly important for instructional contexts, requiring selfregulationskills.Motivational patterns of learning among adolescents: The role of overestimation, underestimation,and accuracy of self-efficacy beliefs.Eleftheria N. Gonida, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GreeceAngeliki Leondari, University of Thessaly, GreeceGrigoris Kiosseoglou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GreeceVassiliki Deliyianis-Kouimtzis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GreeceThe aims of the present study were: (i) to examine the motivational patterns of learning of studentswho overestimate, students who are accurate, and students who underestimate their performancewithin a particular school domain (math or language), and (ii) to identify those students who havea more generalized tendency to over- or underestimate their efficacy beliefs (i.e., in both math andlanguage) and to describe their profile. A sample of 6503 adolescents aged 15-16 years of ageparticipated in the study and were asked to complete a set of self-report questionnaires measuringthe following variables: self-efficacy beliefs for math and for language separately, interest forthese two domains, persistence, achievement goal orientations, perceived school goal structures,perceived parent goals, and causal attributions. First, the students with accurate, over- orunderestimated self-efficacy beliefs for math and for language were identified. Data analysesindicated that the overestimation group manifested a more adaptive motivational profile in general.– 144 –