The general objective of the two studies reported in this paper was to validate a scale of mechanisms of comparison of academic self for 8–13 year-old pupils. The instrument focuses on four mechanisms of social comparison based on identification and contrast related to an upward or a downward target. A first study among a sample of Quebecer pupils (N = 672) allowed to verify the factorial structure of the instrument and to show that the internal consistency of each factor and their temporal stability were satisfactory. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that compared to alternate models, the theoretical four factors model fits better with the data. A second study among a sample of French pupils (N = 380) from France allowed to replicate the psychometric properties of the instrument. Taken together, the results of the two studies allowed concluding that the instrument of the mechanisms of comparison of academic self presents the characteristics of a reliable instrument that is easy to use and appropriate for research in the school domain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
