Through a Looking Glass or a Hall of Mirrors? Self-ratings and Teacher-ratings of Academic Competence over Development

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Abstract
To determine the properties, functions, and developmental validities of self-ratings and teacher-ratings, evaluations of academic competence (i.e. ratings of spelling and math) were obtained in two longitudinal cohorts [i.e. 4th-12th grade ( N = 220) across 9 annual test waves; 7th-12th grade ( N = 475) across 6 annual test waves]. Logistic regressions and path analyses indicated that teacher-ratings consistently yielded more robust predictions of subsequent academic attainment than self-ratings. Moreover, there was an apparent self-enhancement, with mean self-ratings significantly higher than mean teacher-ratings at most age levels. Correlations between teacher-ratings of spelling and math were robust, whereas the correlations between self-ratings in these domains were small and unreliable. These findings—replicated across cohorts, gender, academic domains, and grades—were interpreted in terms of the functions served by self- and teacher-ratings.