The self-concept of selected disadvantaged eighth-grade students and its relation to curricular areas

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of the curriculum on the self-concept of disadvantaged eighth-grade students during a school year to provide a more scientific basis for revising the curriculum and methods of instruction in the schools. Measuring the impact of the curriculum on the self-concept of the students was attempted by constructing and administering an adjective check-list type of survey instrument. The completed adjective check-list was administered twice during the school year to 202 students of which 64 were classified as disadvantaged using the provisions of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as the classification criterion. During each administration of the instrument, students were asked to react to the 50 adjectives of the check-list in terms of their perceived-selves and again in terms of what they would ideally be. A numerical rating scale of one to nine was superimposed on a continuum that included the ratings: not at all, slightly, fairly, very, and extremely. After each administration of the instrument a discrepancy score was computed for each student. The score was calculated by subtracting the combined perceived-self scores in each curricular area from the ideal-self scores. This procedure yielded five discrepancy scores per student. A net discrepancy score was obtained by subtracting the discrepancy score of the first administration from the discrepancy score of the second. If the first administration discrepancy score was greater than the second, a positive value was assigned and vice versa. ...