Self-perceptions of social competence and self-worth in Chinese children: Relations with social and school performance

The purpose of the study was to examine relations between self-perceptions of social competence and general self-worth and social and school performance in Chinese children. A sample of children, initially aged 12 years, in the People's Republic of China, participated in this longitudinal study. Data on self-perceptions were collected from self-reports. Data on social and school performance were obtained from multiple sources including peer assessments, teacher ratings and school records. The results indicated that relations between self-perceptions and performance might vary across domains. Self-perceptions of self-worth and school competence mutually contributed to the prediction of each other. Whereas sociability and aggression predicted self-perceptions of social competence and self-worth, positive self-perceptions might be a protective factor that buffered against the development of social-behavioral problems. The results may help us understand developmental antecedents and outcomes of children's self-perceptions of social competence and self-worth in general, and the nature of the phenomena in the Chinese context.