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The formation of self-concept and intrinsic value in arts-related domains: Extending the generalized internal/external frame of reference model to music and visual arts.

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Title: The formation of self-concept and intrinsic value in arts-related domains: Extending the generalized internal/external frame of reference model to music and visual arts.
Authors: Arens AK; Department on Research on Education and Human Development and IDeA Research Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk, DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, Frankfurt am Main, Germany., Fiedler D; Chair of Music Education Research, Department of Didactics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany., Hasselhorn J; Chair of Music Education Research, Department of Didactics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany., Möller J; Institute of Psychology of Learning and Instruction, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
Source: The British journal of educational psychology [Br J Educ Psychol] 2026 Jun; Vol. 96 (2), pp. 558-576. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Sep 24.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0370636 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2044-8279 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00070998 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Br J Educ Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: <2012-> : Chichester : Wiley-Blackwell
Original Publication: Edinburgh : Scottish Academic Press
MeSH Terms: Music*/psychology , Students*/psychology , Self Concept* , Models, Psychological* , Academic Success*, Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adolescent ; Germany
Abstract: Background: The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model explains the formation of domain-specific academic self-concepts. The generalized I/E (GI/E) model extends the I/E model to other motivational constructs, such as intrinsic value, and to various school subjects. When extending the I/E model to various school subjects, the domains of music and visual arts have seldom been examined.
Aims: This study examined a GI/E model that included achievements, self-concepts and intrinsic values in eight school subjects, including music and visual arts.
Sample: We used a sample of N = 442 German secondary school students.
Methods: The analyses were built upon structural equation modelling.
Results: The findings demonstrated negative achievement-self-concept and achievement-intrinsic value relations between math-like and verbal-like domains, indicating contrast effects. In addition, the findings demonstrated positive achievement-self-concept and achievement-intrinsic value relations among math-like domains, indicating assimilation effects. The findings further indicated negative relations between physics achievement and music self-concept, implying a contrast effect. In addition, the findings showed a positive relation between music achievement and English self-concept and between visual arts achievement and German intrinsic value, implying assimilation effects. Academic self-concept was found to fully mediate the relation between achievement and intrinsic value within the same domains and across different domains in most cases. The findings were shown to be invariant across gender groups.
Conclusion: The present study adds to the broad field of research on the I/E and GI/E models by considering the two neglected domains of music and visual arts.
(© 2025 The Author(s). British Journal of Educational Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)
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Grant Information: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: I/E model; academic achievement; academic self‐concept; intrinsic value; music; visual arts
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20250924 Date Completed: 20260508 Latest Revision: 20260510
Update Code: 20260510
PubMed Central ID: PMC13155071
DOI: 10.1111/bjep.70038
PMID: 40988555
Database: MEDLINE
Description
ISSN:2044-8279
DOI:10.1111/bjep.70038