Transition to middle school: Self-concept changes

Self-concept influences identity and the way that people behave, and it fluctuates over time. The main purpose of this study was to analyze fluctuations in the dimensions of self-concept as a function of gender, educational level, grade, age, physical activity, and weight. In total, 712 Spanish adol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2019-02, Vol.14 (2), p.e0212640-e0212640
Main Authors: Onetti, Wanesa, Fernández-García, José Carlos, Castillo-Rodríguez, Alfonso
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement
Adolescent
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
Age
Analysis
Biology and Life Sciences
Body Weight
Cardiovascular disease
Child
Child Development
Education
Emotions
Exercise
Family
Female
Girls
Humans
Male
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mental health
Middle and junior high school students
People and Places
Physical activity
Physical fitness
Psychological aspects
Research and Analysis Methods
Schools
Self Concept
Self esteem
Self image
Self perception
Social Sciences
Students
Surveys and Questionnaires
Teenagers
Variation
Weight
Youth
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Summary:Self-concept influences identity and the way that people behave, and it fluctuates over time. The main purpose of this study was to analyze fluctuations in the dimensions of self-concept as a function of gender, educational level, grade, age, physical activity, and weight. In total, 712 Spanish adolescents who were in the 5th and 8th grades (354 boys and 358 girls) and 10 to 14 years old (M = 11.9; SD = 1.3) participated in this study. The Self-Concept Questionnaire, Form 5 was used to analyze several dimensions of self-concept (academic, social, emotional, family, and physical), using the average scores in each dimension. The data showed strong differences in the dimensions of self-concept during the school transition. Middle-school students, compared to elementary-school students, showed significantly lower levels in almost all dimensions (academic, social, family, and physical). Furthermore, student age was a negative predictor of the social and academic dimensions, explaining 33% and 37% of the variance, respectively. Educational level and grade were smaller factors influencing the academic dimension (explaining 29% and 25% of the variance, respectively). The main findings revealed that the school transition and, specifically, increased age were associated with a lower self-concept. These results help us understand the need to strengthen psychological and educational self-concept at school.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0212640