Self-concept And Its Factors In School-age Children

[Objectives] Positive self-concept is the core peculiarities of the person with healthy mental condition. The school-age period is the important period of the self-concept. With the development of the cognitive ability and social cognitive ability, the content of the self-concept is improved. The study of the general rule and features of children' s self-concept can deepen realization and is useful for relative education. So this study surveyed the school-age children' self-concept and discussed the factors of it. All is to provide the basis for cultivation of right self-concept.[Methods]Based on the principle of layer-typical-group, 3328 children (from Grade 3 to 6) are tested. They were from urban, rural and migrant workers' primary schools in regions of different economic development level. And the effective rate was 94.89% (3158 suits totally). Self-concept Scale including behavior, intelligence and school, body, anxiety, gregariousness and satisfaction was used to test the self-concept. The student with higher level are better in self-concept. Rutter children's behavior questionnaire including RCBQP and RCBQT was used to test the behavior problem. And it contains "A behavior", "N behavior" and "M behavior" . The student was tested with behavior problem as the parents scale more than 13 or the teachers one more than 9. During the behavior problem students, if "A behavior" is higher than "N behavior" the students were belongs to "A behavior", vice versa, it belongs to "N behavior". If "A behavior" is equal to "N behavior" , the students were belongs to "M behavior" . The influencing factors are age, nationality, gender, family economic status, parental education level, family pattern, feeding pattern, rearing person, learning achievement and so on. The three scales numbered by class supervisor were filled anonymously. The scales are filled (RCBQP by parent, RCBQT by Class Supervisor, PHCSS scale by student). The database was builded with Epidata3.1 and analysed with SPSS13.0.[Results]1. Self-concept in school-age children of Zhejiang ProvinceIntelligence and school, body in school-age children of Zhejiang Province are higher than the national norm, while behavior, anxiety, gregariousness and satisfaction is lower. During male students behavior, intelligence and school, gregariousness and satisfaction and the total score are lower than the national norm, and the female students are all lower than the national norm. While lower than it during 7-9 age group and 10-12 age group. The factors and total score are lower than the national norm during 13-15 age group. Lower age group totally is higher than higher age group. The self-concept of students in urban is better than in rural and of migrant workers.During female students behavior, intelligence and school, gregariousness, satisfaction and the total score are higher than the male students. 7-9 age group and 10-12 age group in behavior, anxiety, satisfaction are higher than 13-15 age group; 7-9 age group in intelligence and school is higher than 10-12 age group and 13-15 age group; 7-9 age group in body is higher than 10-12 age group; The students with higher age have lower total score. The students from urban, rural and migrant workers' primary schools in behavior, intelligence and school, anxiety, satisfaction and total score decreased systematically; The students from urban, migrant workers' and rural primary schools in body decreased systematically; The students from urban and rural primary schools in gregariousness are higher than migrant workers'. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).2. Influencing factors of the self-concept in school-age studentsWith increasing culture degree of parents, the level of children' self-concept is increasing. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).Family economic status influence on self-concept: high-rate and middle-rate in behavior and gregariousness are higher than low-rate; high- rate in satisfaction are higher than middle-rate and low-rate; The other factors and total score decreased systematically with decreasing family economic status; The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).The students of nuclear family in anxiety and total score are higher than single parent family. The students fed by breast feeding in gregariousness are higher than the ones fed by artificial-feeding. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).With increasing learning achievement, the level of children' self-concept (except the body factor) is increasing; high-rate in body are higher than low-rate; The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Learning achievement in the high self-concept group is higher than the low self-concept group. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).The behavior problem students tested by RCBQP or RCBQT have higher self-concept than the normal ones. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The rate of behavior problem in the high self-concept group is higher than the low self-concept group. The differences were statistically significant (x²_RCBQP =75.45, P<0.001; x²_RCBQT=67.62, P<0.001).[Conclusion]The students in Zhejiang Province had better self-confidence and higher evaluation of self-image and better behavior. But they had poor control force of behavior and emotion. The urban students are better. The students with higher culture degree parents, higher family economy, with higher learning achievement are better in self-concept. The children in single parent family are more anxious. Breast feeding is useful gregariousness. And with higher learning achievement ones are have higher in self-concept. The children with behavior problem are with lower level self-concept than the normal ones.