A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THE COMPARISON OF SELF-CONCEPT AND CONCEPTUAL LEVEL DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENTS

The self-concept and conceptual level of 102 early adolescents were measured over a three-year period to compare their cognitive development and self-concept. Data sources included measurements of self-concept through use of Piers-Harris Children\u27s Self-Concept Scale and measurements of conceptual level by Schroeder and Hunt\u27s Paragraph Completion Method. Data were collected upon entry to grade seven and during the last six weeks prior to exit from grades seven, eight and nine. Findings suggest that self-concept and conceptual level scores followed a positive linear trend at the .001 level of significance. CL and SC scores did not follow a parallel pattern of change. Males and females did not differ significantly in test scores for self-concept. Female scores on conceptual level were significantly higher than males at the .001 level. The relatively stable scores for self-concept and conceptual level throughout the three-year period raised questions about studies which predict a period of crisis for early adolescents. Educators should be aware that not all adolescents experience a decline in self-concept or conceptual level development as they progress through junior high school. Additional research is needed with larger samples of more diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds to support this study. Future studies should be designed to measure the change or development of adolescents with emphasis on individual data rather than group data to investigate more closely the students whose CL or SC does change