Still No Convincing Evidence for a Causal Effect of Academic Self-Concept on Achievement: A Reply to Núñez-Regueiro et al., 2025

Abstract In a recent response, Núñez-Regueiro et al. (2025) criticized our findings (Sorjonen et al. 2025) that were inconsistent with the reciprocal effects model (REM) of self-concepts and achievement. Here we respond to points raised. We show again that data used to support the REM may also be used to support an inconsistent decreasing effect of self-concept on achievement. We also show that an extended version of the REM, endorsed by Marsh et al. (2024), may seemingly be supported by data generated without any direct effects between self-concept and achievement. This means that such effects in observational data can arise under non-causal data-generating processes and do, therefore, not provide strong evidence for a causal effect of self-concept on achievement.