Little High, Little Low: Girls' and Boys' Academic Self-concept and Performance in English as a Foreign Language

The relationship between self-concept and performance in education is a complex one and results from research on this matter are, at times, contradictory. The aim of this study is to analyse differences in perceptions between male and female students in terms of their academic self-concept and their actual performance in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). A total of 110 upper secondary students in Granada, Spain, provided personal perspectives into their perceived strengths and weaknesses in discrete communicative language skills in English and reported on their academic performance in this subject. Results show differences between boys' and girls' perceptions, whereby females participants in the study have relatively higher levels of motivation but also increased levels of anxiety; in addition, females expressed a poorer view on their academic performance in the different language skills in comparison to males, despite the fact that girls' actual performance in assessments was slightly better. The study tentatively concludes that the analysis of student perceptions on their own mastery of skills, as well as their affective attachment towards the language, may provide useful information for teachers.