title: If one goes up the other must come down: Examining ipsative relationships between math and English self-concept trajectories across high school.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Internal-External frame of reference (IE) model suggests that as self-concept in one domain goes up (e.g., English) self-concept in other domains (e.g., mathematics) should go down (ipsative self-concept hypothesis).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To our knowledge this assumption has not been tested. Testing this effect also provides a context for illustrating different approaches to the study of growth with longitudinal data.
  
  
  METHODS
  We use cohort sequential data from 2,781 of Year 7 to Year 11 Australian high school students followed across a total of 10 time waves 6 months apart.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three different approaches to testing the ipsative self-concept hypothesis were used: Autoregressive cross-lagged models, latent growth curve models, and autoregressive latent trajectory models (ALT); using achievement as a time varying covariate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cross-lagged and growth curve models provided little evidence of ipsative relationships between English and math self-concept. However, ALT models suggested that a rise above trend in one self-concept domain resulted in a decline from trend in self-concept in another domain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implications for self-concept theory, interventions, and statistical methods for the study of growth are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Philip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, New South Wales, Australia.|Department of Education, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Herbert W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.affiliation: Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandre J S
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Morin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seaton
authors.affiliation: Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Brooke
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van Zanden
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D012574:Schools; D012649:Self Concept; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Self-concept; cohort sequential designs; dimensional comparison; growth trajectories