Accurate self-assessment: what matters for children

(Image: Pixabay CC0) Those who assess themselves and their abilities realistically get further in life than others. A study by the University of Würzburg now shows how children can learn precise self-assessment. Apprenticeship or study at university? Should I do languages or science? What suits me best? How accurately young people answer these questions depends largely on one factor: their social environment. This has now been discovered by a research group in which the Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg is involved. As part of the long-term study, researchers examined almost 600 families. "Our research shows that children from disadvantaged families find it more difficult to realistically classify themselves and their abilities," says study author Prof. Fabian Kosse from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Würzburg. For many groundbreaking decisions in life, such as choosing a career, this is a decisive disadvantage.