A self exploration program to facilitate change in the self concepts of students

Abstract

The purnose of this study was to Drovide exnerlences in a group environment leading each student to change negative attitudes toward self, allowing the develonment of a more positive self-concept. The study assessed the relative effects of a structured self-exploratory group experience, special skill training in a group situation and no-treatment on student attitudes toward self. The participants in the study included thirty grade nine students of private Lycee in Istanbul, who were assessed to have low self-concept according to the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale among a Dopulation of eighty six students. Students were randomly selected and assigned to one of three groups. The three groups consisted of a structured self-exploratory group (Experimental Group I), a group teaching communication, decision-making and problem solving skills (Experimental Groun II) and a no treatment control group, The treatment for the two experimental groups consisted of one hour session each week for eleven weeks including post tests. The control group met only for pre and post testing. The TSCS was applied to all of the subjects in the beq;inning and at, the end of the treatment neriod. The variables used as indicators of student attitudes toward self were the scores students obtained on the TSCS. The hypotheses were that the self-concept of students who go through a self exploratory group experience as assessed by TSCS will improve from pre to post testing, the self concept of students in a self-exploratory group assessed by TSCS will improve significantly more than the students in a group teaching communication, decision-making and problem solving skills. The third hypothesis was that the self-concept of the students in a self-exploratory grou1) assessed by TSCS will improve sifnificantly more than the group of students who do not receive any treatment. The data were analyzed utilizing the analysis of variance' Scheffee posthoc comnarison method and t-test procedures. The results supported the first and third hynotheses that is Experimental Group I showed a significant difference from pre to post testing in the direction of development of a positive self concept while the control group did not change. It can be said that the results suggest that it is possible to affect positive change in selected student attitudes toward self.