This study examined the development of adolescents' self-concept of ability in mathematics and literacy during secondary school, and the role that mothers' and fathers' beliefs concerning their child's abilities play in this development. Also examined was whether the role of mothers' and fathers' beliefs about their adolescent child's ability in…

It is often argued that enhancement of self-beliefs should be one of the key goals of education. However, very little is known about the relation between self-beliefs and performance when students move from primary to secondary school in highly differentiated educational systems with early tracking. This large-scale longitudinal cohort study…

The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) was evaluated with 4,461 seventh to ninth graders in Singapore where a national policy of ability streaming is implemented. Consistent with the BFLPE, when prior achievement was controlled, students in the high-ability stream had lower English and mathematics self-concepts (ESCs and MSCs) and those in the…

The present study aims at unravelling the myriad of student-level (i.e., gender, socioeconomic status [SES], academic self-concept, achievement, ability, and occupational interests) and school-level (i.e., gender composition, maths composition, and SES composition) determinants of option choice in the academic track of secondary school in…

An emphasis on the functional role of self-presentation or self-concept has received an increasing amount of attention in the last 10 years. As a result of recent studies which have suggested the importance of self-esteem as a factor which influences motivation, this study examined the relationship between peer relations and self-esteem.…

Describes a study of self-concept changes among 87 ninth-grade students during a 10-week mandatory adventure course. Concludes that course participation improved overall self-esteem and perceptions of own physical self and popularity, particularly among male students. Contains 16 references. (SV)

Studies the effects and interactions of a planned curriculum and 4 different sequences of oral reading, dramatic activities, and theatrical production on ninth grade students' communication skills, knowledge, comprehension, and attitudes toward self and theater. Reports significant improvement in communication skills and attitudes toward self and…

Developed to improve the self-concept and study skills of underachievers, this project brought together 20 ninth graders for 3 periods daily with 1 teacher for English, geography, and supplemental instruction. Results include improved self-confidence, a lower dropout rate, and better grades for 12 students. (MJL)

A student team learning technique, used with low achievers in a ninth grade world history class, improved the students' academic achievement, but did not improve their self-concepts. (RM)

This paper explores the process of identity formation as related to adolescents' level of moral development, race, sex, and family configuration. Ego identity was operationalized into four identity statuses based on an adolescent's reported degree of exploration and goal commitment in the areas of occupation, religion, politics, and philosophy…

Factors that allowed inner-city ninth graders to maintain socially competent behavior in spite of stress were examined. Findings yield insights on the ways in which personality variables may interact with stress to influence social competence among inner-city adolescents. (GLR)

The "Perceptual Preferences" section of the Learning Styles Questionnaire (Dunn and Dunn, 1975) was administered to 170 ninth grade students with self-reported measures of self-esteem, general affect, and achievement (i.e., grade-point average). Data were analyzed to determine if modality preferences are a significant component of student learning…

Describes an innovative home economics course that contains such vital subject matter as self-image, communication, decision making, legal rights and responsibilities, banking functions, and job-seeking skills. The course, which meets daily for 18 weeks, is offered on an elective basis to ninth-grade students. (CT)

Investigates the effects of a role-taking, action-learning program on the cognitive and ego development of African American rural high school students. Main effects were assessed in two related domains: concrete to abstract thinking, and self-concept development. Results indicate significant gains in both abstract thinking and ego stage. (RJM)

The purpose of this study was to identify factors responsible for the perceived decline in attitudes toward science observed in an intervention study designed to enhance scientific literacy. The literacy study focuses on a new freshman course in an urban Catholic high school. Negative attitudes toward science were found to be related to the demand…