Abstract
We tested whether self-control, previous grades, IQ, and gender can predict performance in German, English (as a foreign language), and in math after six months. These subjects are often considered as feminine (German, English) or masculine (math). Data was collected from the third and fourth grades (N = 299) in elementary schools and in fifth and sixth grades in higher secondary schools (N = 420). Self-control predicted grades in all subjects (but best in English) and in both types of school six months later, independent of previous grades and IQ. Previous grades strongly predicted performance in all subjects. Females were higher in self-control and earned better grades in feminine subjects than males. Self-control mediated the link between gender and grades in languages in females.
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the ZEW-Leibniz-Research-Network on Non-Cognitive Skills (Leibniz Association, Germany) and the University of Konstanz for funding our research.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Anja Achtziger declares that she has no conflict of interest. Ute C. Bayer declares that she has no conflict of interest.
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Achtziger, A., Bayer, U.C. Self-control mediates the link between gender and academic achievement in sex-stereotyped school subjects in elementary and in higher secondary schools. Curr Psychol 39, 1683–1695 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9867-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9867-x