Academic Achievement in Language and Mathematics: The Role of Cognitive Abilities and Academic Self-Concept Across the Third Cycle and Secondary Education

Research on academic achievement highlights the combined role of cognitive abilities and motivational beliefs. Grounded in the CHC framework, this study examined how three broad cognitive abilities-verbal, numeric, and spatial-and academic self-concept jointly predict achievement in Portuguese and mathematics. A sample of 3034 students from the third cycle (grades 7-9) and secondary education (grades 10-12) completed the BAC-AB cognitive battery and a validated academic self-concept scale. Using multigroup structural equation modelling, we tested whether the predictive patterns differed across educational stages. Academic self-concept emerged as the most consistent predictor across subjects and levels. Cognitive contributions displayed clear developmental differentiation: verbal ability was more strongly associated with Portuguese (and increasingly with Mathematics) in secondary education, whereas numeric and spatial abilities were comparatively more relevant for Mathematics in the third cycle. These patterns support the view that linguistic, quantitative, and visuospatial processes contribute to achievement in distinct and developmentally sensitive ways. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of instructional approaches that build on quantitative and spatial strengths in earlier grades while progressively supporting advanced verbal comprehension and reasoning in later schooling.