Teachers' responsibilities in developing pupils' self-concept

M.Ed.This investigation is part of a group project that was conducted by a research team of the Department of Educational Sciences of the Rand Afrikaans University. The focus of this study is the self-concept development of pupils and the responsibility of teachers in this regard. Aspects of self-concept development are addressed as factors contributing towards the pupils gaining a positive self-concept. Teachers should be aware of the subtle, yet powerful, influence that a positive or a negative self-concept could have on a pupil's development and how this affects the pupil's intellectual, social and personal development. It is the view of the researcher that teachers need to make every effort to assist pupils in developing a positive and healthy self-concept. The methodology used in this study is two-fold: Firstly, it involves literature study on self-concept development. The researcher used this information to support the field of investigation and to make findings based on factual information. Secondly, it involves information derived from questionnaires completed by a number :of teachers in different schools. From the information obtained from the completed questionnaires the researcher was able to ascertain teachers' opinions of their efforts concerning the development of pupils' self-concept. The results of the empirical research indicate that teachers, by making a high input on the various aspects of the development of the pupils' self-concept, consider this as an important responsibility. The following specific findings were made: * The input made by teachers with regard to encouraging pupils to believe in their own abilities was given the highest rating, while their input concerning planning to meet individual needs of learners was on the lower average. There was a significant difference between the ratio male : input and the ratio female : input regarding the encouragment of pupils to believe in their own abilities. Teachers with more than eleven years of teaching experience provide more input in planning to meet the individual needs of the learners. Teachers whose mother tongue is neither English or Afrikaans provide more input in giving positive feedback to pupils. It was noted that teachers' qualifications also play a role in their input concerning positive feedback to pupils. There is a significant relationship between subjects taught and the proportion of input with regard to the various aspects of self-concept development. The study also revealed that teachers are of the opinion that the development of pupils' self-concept is an important aspect of their responsibilities. This is supported by the high proportion of teachers' input in this regard