Hierarchical Models of Self-Concept across Genders and Sciences/Humanities for College Students in Taiwan
Table 1
Summary of Hypotheses, Rationales, and Statistical Methods.
Models
Model fit
Gender differences
Gender × field of study
Model A: GSC as the factor of FSCs
H1: Model A fits data.
H2: females ≠ males
H3: females differ, and males are similar across different fields.
Model B: GSC as the predictor of correlated FSCs
H4: Model B fits data.
H5: females ≠ males
H6: females differ, and males are similar across different fields.
Rationales
H1: GSC is the higher-order factor of FSCs, which imply that FSCs are correlated. H4: GSC predicts correlated FSCs.
H2: females view FSCs as different SCs more than males. H5: GSC is reflective of long-term social expectation of gender roles.
H3: Females are more sensitive to (short-term) social factors than males. H6: females are more sensitive to (short-term) social factors than males.
Statistical methods
H1: total-group HCFA H4: total-group SEM
H2: multigroup HCFA H5: multigroup SEM (for both genders from all fields)
H3: multigroup HCFA H6: multigroup SEM (for both genders from different fields)
H1~H6: Hypothesis 1~Hypothesis 6; GSC: general self-concept; FSCs: field-specific self-concepts; SCs: self-concepts; HCFA: hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis; SEM: structural equation modeling. Other information about Models A-B can be found in Figure 1.
