The effects of self-concept treatment on global and specific areas of self-concepts of first and third graders

The purpose of this study was to determine whether global and area specific self-concept decreased as students advanced in the elementary grades and whether an educational program to increase self-concept affected global and area specific self-concept in a positive way. The participants were 154 first and third grade students from eight intact classrooms in two public elementary schools in a rural midwestern school district.An altered Non-Equivalent Control Group Design was utilized in which the self-concept treatment was administered to School A between Test One and Test Two and to School B between Test Two and Test Three.A repeated measures design and a MANOVA were used to test the seven null hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. The three hypotheses that were rejected dealt with increased self-concept scores for first and third graders after the treatment was given and differences in specific areas of self-concept.The following results were reported:1. There was a decline in global self-concepts from first to third grades, but the difference was not significant.2. Self-concept scores for first and third graders increased after the treatment.3. The only significant difference on the six specific area subtest scores between first and third grade students existed on the intellectual and school status subtest.The researcher concluded that the treatment may have been related to the increase in self-concept scores for both first and third graders.Recommendations for further research included replication and expansion of this study with various grade levels, different self-concept tests and interventions.Department of Elementary EducationThesis (D. Ed.