Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (DPhil (Psychotherapy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between self-perceived information seeking skills and self-esteem in adolescents and, further, to determine whether this correlation varied according to race and gender. Tenth-grade students from three public high schools in a Midwestern city were given two instruments. Self-perceived information seeking skills were measured using a modified version of the Information Skills Checklist from High Plains Regional Technology in Education Consortium's Profiler website. Self-esteem was measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, which is designed for students 12 years of age and over. The scale has six separate measures of self-esteem: physical, moral-ethical self, personal self, family self, social self and academic self. These six measures are used to determine overall level of self-esteem. The results showed a statistically significant correlation between self-perceived information seeking skills and at least one facet of self-esteem for all groups measured, with one exception. African American males were the only adolescents to show no correlation between scores from these two instruments. It is hoped that this research will ultimately be used to develop policies regarding the development of information seeking skills in disenfranchised groups.

Receipt of resource specialist services and possible resulting low self-esteem -- Gender, grade, age, placement criteria.

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This study utilized a Quasi-experimental Pretest-Posttest design to determine whether or not group counseling would improve the achievement (measured by grade point average), self-concept and locus of control (both measured by the <i>SAM</i>) of low-achieving and/or underachieving ninth grade students in an interdisciplinary alternative educational program. participants in this study were 66 students in an alternative educational program called IMAGESS who were computer-assigned to either a treatment group or a control group. Students who were in the treatment group participated in ten 45 minute group counseling sessions over a four month period of time. Concepts of reality therapy were utilized during the group sessions with an emphasis on goal setting, decision making and problem solving skills. Qualitative information was collected during the course of the study and utilized to formulate conclusions. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance utilizing parent participation, sex, group membership and the corresponding pretest as covariates. Once suitable predictors were identified, multiple linear regression was used to identify suitable models for future prediction. Although no significant findings could be identified to support group counseling analysis of covariance produced significant results with the post self-concept and post grade point average variables for parent participation and with the post self-concept variable for the interaction of parent participation and post grade point average. / Ed. D.

Adolescence is a critical time for changes in self-concept and body-image awareness. Self-esteem, the evaluative component of self concept, has been found to be influenced by acceptance by peers. Appearance has been found to influence peer acceptance, and clothing is one tool which may modify appearance. Increasing competitiveness among adolescents with regard to clothing has been cited as one reason for encouraging uniforms or strict dress codes in schools. If an adolescent cannot afford the desired quality and quantity of clothing or is dissatisfied with clothing when compared to that of friends and classmates, high perceptions of clothing deprivation occurs. If an adolescent has high perceptions of clothing deprivation, she may experience low self-esteem. The purpose of the present study was to examine relationships between perceptions of clothing deprivation, perceptions of school climate, and self-esteem for a selected group of middle school females. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a relationship exists between parenting styles, adolescent self-esteem, and health risk behaviors. The sample consisted of 343 middle school students from Harrisonburg, Virginia who completed a questionnaire consisting of three major components: parenting styles, self-esteem, and health risk behaviors. The health risk behaviors component contained questions concerning alcohol use, drug use, sexual activity, and eating behaviors. The parenting styles section of the questionnaire classified the participants into one of four types of parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale divided the participants into one of three levels of self esteem: low, average, and high. The risky behaviors component of the questionnaire classified the participants as being low risk-takers, experimenters, or high risk-takers, with the exception of the eating behaviors component, which classified participants as being either high or low risk takers. In general, no relationship was found between parenting styles, self-esteem, and health risk behaviors. / Master of Science

The lack of academic achievement at the high school level among some gifted students has long been a concern of educators. This research had two purposes: First, to determine if there was a relationship among learning style, academic self-concept and academic achievement with gifted high school students; and second, to understand an individual who was representative of these characteristics identified in part one and determine what life experiences have affected this student’s underachievement. A quasi-experimental design was selected for the quantitative portion of this study to accomplish the first purpose. The design began with the hypothesis that there was a relationship among these variables and employed the use of two self-report instruments, the Learning Style Inventory by Dunn, Dunn, and Price (1989) and the Student Attitude Measure by Wick (1991). Participants for this portion of the study were taken from a population of 93 gifted students at one suburban high school. A parent meeting was held to explain the purpose of the testing; then permission letters were sent to the parents. Seventy-four parents responded, establishing the sample size. The results were compiled using the SYSTAT statistical program. Academic achievement was high for gifted students who showed a preference for studying in a quiet, warm place, were persistent and parent/teacher motivated, and who preferred to learn in several ways but did not prefer to learn through auditory methods or to move around while studying. This finding was the same regardless of the academic self-concept. The selection of the qualitative portion of the study was based on the relationship among learning style, academic self-concept, and low academic achievement. The selected student had a low academic self-concept score, a learning style different from the one stated above, and low academic achievement based on the grades during the year in which the testing took place. This study identified a number of factors which had an impact upon this individual and highlighted the importance of professionals’ awareness of each individual’s unique perceptions and life situations that affect underachievement rather than looking for a panacea. / Ed. D.

This study examined the consequences of self-image failure among narcissistic children. It was hypothesized that narcissistic children who perceive themselves as falling short of their hoped-for grandiose self (e.g., whose self-esteem is low) would not only increase over time in general aggression and decrease prosocial behavior, but also increase in the tendency to direct aggression specifically toward more socially successful peers (i.e., their putative rivals for social status). Participants were 195 (101 boys) fourth through seventh-graders who were tested in both the fall and the spring of a school year. Results yielded some support for the hypotheses. Narcissism combined with low self-appraisals of the real self to predict decreases in prosocial behavior and increased aggression toward popular and attractive peers. These findings not only provide longitudinal evidence for the self-image failure hypothesis but also underscore the importance of a target-specific approach to investigating children's aggression. / by Rachel E. Pauletti. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.