Academic self-concept and self-efficacy are often seen as similar constructs, but they have important differences. Both are central to understanding motivation, emotion, and performance in academic settings. They share similarities such as the importance of perceived competence, the use of mastery experience, social comparison, and reflected appraisals as sources of information, and their domain-specific and multidimensional nature. However, they differ in several key aspects. These include the integration versus separation of cognition and affect, the normative versus goal-referenced evaluation of competence, aggregated versus context-specific judgment, hierarchical versus loosely hierarchical structure, past versus future orientation, and relative temporal stability versus malleability. The authors argue that self-efficacy plays an active role in the development of self-concept and suggest that self-concept research should separate its components and processes. They also recommend that students be less preoccupied with normative ability comparisons in school. Self-concept is a composite view of oneself, while self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. Both are important in educational research, as they influence students' cognitive, social, and emotional engagement in school. Researchers have long been interested in self-related perceptions, as they affect individuals' choices and actions. These perceptions are rooted in past achievements and reinforcement history, and once established, they play a determining role in further development. Educational researchers focus on understanding students' self-perceptions, as school experiences significantly shape early life outcomes. Various models and theories of self-related cognition have been proposed and tested in the context of school learning. Self-concept and self-efficacy are two self-constructs that have received significant attention. Recent reviews have highlighted differences between the two, but the authors aim to illuminate both similarities and differences. They hope that this will lead to more integrated theory and research, providing better understandings of students' self-perceptions and their impact on cognitive and psychological well-being in school.Academic self-concept and self-efficacy are often seen as similar constructs, but they have important differences. Both are central to understanding motivation, emotion, and performance in academic settings. They share similarities such as the importance of perceived competence, the use of mastery experience, social comparison, and reflected appraisals as sources of information, and their domain-specific and multidimensional nature. However, they differ in several key aspects. These include the integration versus separation of cognition and affect, the normative versus goal-referenced evaluation of competence, aggregated versus context-specific judgment, hierarchical versus loosely hierarchical structure, past versus future orientation, and relative temporal stability versus malleability. The authors argue that self-efficacy plays an active role in the development of self-concept and suggest that self-concept research should separate its components and processes. They also recommend that students be less preoccupied with normative ability comparisons in school. Self-concept is a composite view of oneself, while self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. Both are important in educational research, as they influence students' cognitive, social, and emotional engagement in school. Researchers have long been interested in self-related perceptions, as they affect individuals' choices and actions. These perceptions are rooted in past achievements and reinforcement history, and once established, they play a determining role in further development. Educational researchers focus on understanding students' self-perceptions, as school experiences significantly shape early life outcomes. Various models and theories of self-related cognition have been proposed and tested in the context of school learning. Self-concept and self-efficacy are two self-constructs that have received significant attention. Recent reviews have highlighted differences between the two, but the authors aim to illuminate both similarities and differences. They hope that this will lead to more integrated theory and research, providing better understandings of students' self-perceptions and their impact on cognitive and psychological well-being in school.