16-06-2007 - NISCAR Children’s Self-Concept Stability And Shifts, Family And Peers Ole Michael Spaten, Aalborg University, Denmark.

16-06-2007 - NISCAR

Children’s Self-Concept

• Stability And Shifts, Family And Peers

• Ole Michael Spaten,

• Aalborg University, Denmark

Overview

• Background

• Research question

• Theory and central concepts

• Methods

• Results

• Conclusion

Background

• ”…has been an increasingly important area of study for psychology".

• (e.g. Rogers, 1961; Coopersmith, 1967; Gergen, 1968; Calhoun, 1977; Burns, 1979; Hansford et al., 1982; Løvlie, 1982; Harter, 1983; Markus et al., 1987; Muijs, 1997; Marsh et al., 1998; Elbaum et al., 2001; Hinkey et al., 2002; Leary, 2004).

• Few studies has investigated childrens development and construction of them self in a longitudinal design and younger children (Hattie & Marsh, 1996; Marsh, 2004)

• Performance and healthy development is correlated with positive self-conception (Braam, 2004; Spaten, 2001; Kazdin, 1990)

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1976, 1980, 1986, 1990, 1994)

• Increased demand for competence on reflection (Beck, 1992; Gergen, 1994, 1991; Giddens, 1990; Ziehe, 1999)

• Requirement of an “enhanced sociological self-reflection on the parts of the individuals” Dencik, 2001

Research questions

• Are young children able to meet the demands for enhanced self-reflection?

• How do children develop and construct their personal identity and life narratives?

• Are children’s self-concept connected to gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status?

Central concepts and theory

• Self-concept, self-worth and self

• Luria, Vygotsky

• William James, G.H. Mead, J. Bruner

Self-concept:

”…the persons experience of him self in relation to others” (Spaten, 2001)

“Self-esteem is the individual's satisfaction with the self-concept” (Calhoun & Morse, 1977).

Concept of one self as a physical, social, psychological (and moral) being.

• The self-as-I (the knower), constructs the self-as-me (the known)

• Self, itself is a relation between self and other, relating to one-self

"In its widest possible sense, however, a man's Me is the sum total of all that he CAN call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house, his wife and children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and works, his lands and horses, and yacht and bank-account” (William James, 1892).

material Me (& bodily Me), social Me

spiritual Me (psychological Me)

• Becoming self-conscious is only possible according to Mead in a social context: "…this development has taken place only in a social group, for selves exist only in relation to others selves…" (Mead, 1925). 33

Teori og centrale begreber

• Luria siger:

• ”…[De søger] grundlaget for bevidstheden og selvbevidstheden i den menneskelige sjæls dybder eller i hjernestrukturens elementer, idet de helt ser bort fra det ydre miljø, som den menneskelige hjerne genspejler…”

• Luria, A. R. (1977). Om erkendelsesprocessernes historiske udvikling: En eksperimentalpsykologisk undersøgelse. Kbh.: Munksgaard

"The social dimension of consciousness is primary in time and in fact. The individual dimension of consciousness is derivative and secondary" (Vygotsky 1979, s. 30).

“…there is no such thing as an intuitively obvious and essential self to know, one that just sits there to be portrayed in words. Rather, we constantly construct and reconstruct a self to meet the needs of the situation we encounter…” (Bruner, 2002, p. 210). 33

Methods

• Multi Methods Research (Hanson, 2005) A combination of qualitative and quantitative researchmethods

• Duquesne school approach to phenomenological psychology (Giorgi, 2003)

• Mixed Methods Research Design

• A multitude of methods kan differentiate and support each other (Camic, Rhodes, & Yardley, 2003, p. 10; Rank, 1992, p. 297ff.; Coolican, 2004)

• Selection of participants for the qualitative part of the investigation

High performance Low performance

1 class from Nørrebro (A) 1 class from Nørrebro (B)1 class from Vesterbro (C)1 class from Vesterbro (D)

Boy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girl

Boy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girl

1 class from Søborg (E) 1 class from Søborg (F)1 class from Vanløse (G)1 class from Vanløse (H)

Boy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girl

Boy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girlBoy and girl

ResultsSelf-concept - Scholastic Competence

Scholastic Competence broken down on Gender

Blue: Girl.Green: BoyData from Longitudinal project

Time 1: Start (of study)Time 2 One year laterTime 3 One year laterTime 4 One year later etc.

ResultsSelf-concept – Physical Appearence

Physical Appearance broken down on Gender

Blue: Girl.Green: BoyData from Longitudinal project

Time 1: 3rd GradeTime 2 4th GradeTime 3 5th GradeTime 4 6th Grade etc.

ResultsSelf-concept – Physical Appearence

Physical Appearance broken down on Gender

Blue: Girl.Green: BoyData from Longitudinal project

Time 1: 1st GradeTime 2 2nd GradeTime 3 3rd GradeTime 4 5th GradeTime 5 7th Grade

ResultsSelf-concept - Scholastic Competence

Social class and districts in Greater Copenhagen Areas

Blue: Middleclass, a neighbourBrown: Workingclass d neighb.Green: Workingclass a neighb.

Data from Longitudinal project

Time 1: Start (of study)Time 2 Middle (3 years later)Time 3 End (3 years later)

Results

• Interviewing 32 children• Who are the four children?• Chilae• Emin• Morten• Annette• (”Rich”) quotations of interviews with the

four children interview.ppt

Background variables

Age:

11 y House Mothers

Work

Fathers Work

Reading:

second / word

Pct. Right

Teach: Con-duct

Ravens Progres. Matrices

C Flat Kitchen Assistant 16 92 VU 28

E Flat Student Busdriver 9 95 U 19

M Villa Kindergart. Supervisor

Engineer 4 98 S 31

A Row Consultant Teacher 6 98 VS 33

Age differences – self-concept

Period

(Trad. phasemodel)

Self-concept Examples

Childhood (2-6 år)

Age.ppt

Observable, concrete characteristics

Specific interests, activity

I got blue eyes M I am a boy Em

I play soccer

Late childhood

(7-11)

Generel interests

Social comparison

Interpersonal qualities

I love animals A

I look smarter M2 I don’t tease… 2

Adolesc.

(12-19)Concepts, hidden, abstract

psychological qualities

I am a lively person…

R1 … an angel…

Western culture vss East/asian culture

• Independent self-system

MotherFather

Brother

FriendFriend

Collegea

• Interdependent self-system

Brother

Friend

Collegea

MotherFather

Friend

Markus & Kitayama, 1998; Wang, 2004

C2M17

Self focused * Assertive Group orientation * Modest

Developmental dimensions in children’s self-concept

Younger children ....-> Older children

Material ……………-> Formal M15

Absolute ……...……->

Multidimensional Cit225R

Conclusion

• Children constructs identity, becomes self-conscious, self-reflecting, comp. through social interaction with family and peers

• Children’s construction of personal identity follow – despite patterns – NOT stages

• Gender, Culture, Class interacts

• Instrumental validity and reliability

• Longitudinal research wanted

Discussion

• Do we see children construct their identity – as Mead suggest – through social interaction? 14 CitatD9

• Do children construct identity without stable core self, without continuity – as Bruner suggest? 15 26R

Self-concept differentiates in time according to development:• Social (peer and family relations)

– Later diff. into “Same gender” and– “Opposite gender”

• Material (possessions)• Performance• Physical (body)• Conduct (behaviour)

– Psychological (values, ideas etc.)– Love– Parents

Self-construction: Prime concepts

Grounded in results from research:• Social construction• Psychological me• Material me• Continuity• Agency• Uniqueness

• Related to theoretical work by: James, Mead, Luria, Vygotsky, Bruner

S6

S5

S1

S4

S3

S2

M K6A6

U6P6

C5

C4

C3

C2

C1

M5 A5

M4 A4

A3M3

M2 A2

M1 A1

P1 U1

P2 U2

U3P

3

P4 U4

P5 U 5

Self-construction: Prime concepts

Grounded in resultsfrom research:• Social construction• Psychological me• Social me• Continuity• Agency• Uniqueness

S6

S5

S

M K6A6

U6P6

C5

C4

C3

C2

C1

M A5

M A4

A3M

3

M A2

M1 A1

P1 U1

P2 U2

U3P

3

P4 U4

P5

U 5

S4

S3

S2