Fitness, attitude toward physical education, and self-concept of elementary school children

Elementary school children scoring in the highest and lowest 26% or 27% of their classes on the Texas Physical Fitness test were compared for attitude toward physical education and self-concept. Data were collected on the Children's Attitude Inventory Toward Physical Education, a Game of Pairs for Preferences Among School Subjects, and the Children's Self-concept Scale. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences on all tests between boys high in fitness, girls high in fitness, boys low in fitness, and girls low in fitness. Subsequent Scheffé tests indicated that highly fit girls had significantly higher attitude and self-concept scores than boys low in fitness. Highly fit boys had higher self-concepts than boys low in fitness. No other group comparisons were significant. Pearson correlations indicated nonsignificant associations between fitness and attitude and self-concept for the four groups.     

Association between self-concept and body weight, gender, and pubertal development among male and female adolescents

This study examined the effects and interactions of gender, pubertal status, and body weight on the self-concept of 462 young adolescent Australian students from two different schools. All students enrolled in Years 7 and 8 completed the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents, which includes several self-concept subscales and ratings of the importance of each subscale. The self-concept subscales ranked as most important by male and female students were Close Friendship, Scholastic Competence, and Job Competence. Females rated their ability to form close friendships significantly higher and of greater importance than did males. Standard body weight was related to students' Physical Appearance subscale scores, with higher weight students having lower self-concept, and postmenarcheal females having the poorest opinion of their physical appearance. Higher body weight males had lower scores on Athletic Competence, Job Competence, and Behavioral Conduct than did other males. Overweight females and normal weight males considered athletic competence to be more important than did other students. Pubertal status was related to students' scores on Athletic Competence, with postpubertal males who were not overweight scoring highest, and on Physical Appearance, with postmenarcheal females having the lowest opinion of their appearance. The mean self-concept score was significantly related to students' standard body weight, and there was an interaction between gender and puberty, with postpubertal males having the highest and postmenarcheal females the lowest self-concept score. The discrepancy score suggested that females felt they had failed to meet their ideal self-concept significantly more than did males. The results suggest that school programs should be implemented to provide exercise and job skill training suitable for all students, especially those who are overweight. These programs, while taking into account students' pubertal status, should aim to improve self-image without resulting in feelings of failure.     

Relationship of perceived physical self-concept and physical activity level and sex among young children

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between level of physical activity and perceived physical self-concept of young children. The sample comprised 364 children from Slovenia, aged 6.4 yr. (SD = 0.3), of which 179 were boys and 185 girls. Parents and teachers reported children's physical activity using the Harro questionnaire. We divided children into Low and High Activity groups based on their mean scores. The children completed Stein's Children's Physical Self-concept Scale, which assesses Global Physical Self-concept and the subdomains of Physical Performance, Physical Appearance, and Weight Control behavior. Two-way analysis of variance with both sex and physical activity levels, and their interaction were used to examine differences in Physical Self-concept. There were significant differences between the Low and High Activity groups on scores for global Physical Self-concept Scale, Physical Performance, and Weight Control, on which children from the High Activity group scored higher; whereas on the subscale Physical Appearance, there were no significant differences. There were no significant sex differences on the Physical Self-concept Scale. The most important conclusion of this research indicates the theoretical assumptions that Physical Activity and perceived Physical Self-concept are related. Direction of the relationship remains unclarified.     

A TEST OF SHAVELSON'S HIERARCHICAL MULTIFACETED SELF-CONCEPT MODEL IN A FILIPINO COLLEGE SAMPLE

Shavelson's hierarchical, multifaceted self-concept model (HMFM) has proven useful to educational and psychological researchers. The reliability and factorial validity of a well-known HMFM instrument - the Fleming-Courtney Self-Rating Scales (SRS) - were examined for a sample of 198 Filipino college students. Confirmatory factor analysis compared six structural models. A six-factor, oblique model that included two social factors (Social Acceptance and Social Anxiety) fit the data best, and a second-order factor analysis supported the hierarchical structure of the SRS. The men were significantly higher than the women on three self-concept scales, but the only large effect was for Physical Abilities, consistent with findings in a U.S. college sample. Results provided some support for the utility of both the SRS and HMFM for Filipinos.     

Academic and social self-concept: effects of teaching styles and gender in English as a foreign language setting

This study examined the relationship between academic and social self-concept and teachers’ teaching styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive). The participants included 511 school students (53.2% females). They completed the Self-Definition Questionnaire (SDQ-I) and the Teacher Authority Questionnaire. Data were analysed to predict self-concept from teaching styles. On the one hand, females’ academic self-concept was positively predicted by authoritative and permissive teaching. However, their social self-concept was only predicted by permissive teaching. On the other hand, males’ academic and social self-concepts were not predicted by any of the teaching styles. Teaching styles seem to support learning self-concept in female students more strongly than in male students. The findings contribute to social cognitive theories when applied to cross-cultural settings.     

Self-concept as a factor in the quality of diets of adolescent girls

The effect of self-concept on the quality of diets of adolescent girls was investigated. Scores for self-concept as measured by the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) and fat area values were obtained from 160 15-year-old girls. Twenty-four-hour dietary recall interviews were conducted with a random subsample of 40 girls. Mean dietary adequacy ratios (MARs) were calculated to assess dietary quality. Girls in this study had larger arm fat areas than did their national counterparts. Mean intakes of energy and nine nutrients met or exceeded their respective RDAs except for vitamin A, calcium, and iron. MAR values were correlated positively with Self-Satisfaction scores and negatively with carbonated beverages, candy, and baked desserts. Fat area values were correlated negatively with Physical Self scores. Significant predictors of MAR values below 80% were Total Conflict, Moral-Ethical Self, Family Self, Identity, and Physical Self scores.     

Physical self-concept and self-esteem mediate cross-sectional relations of physical activity and sport participation with depression symptoms among adolescent girls.

The authors tested whether physical self-concept and self-esteem would mediate cross-sectional relations of physical activity and sport participation with depression symptoms among 1,250 girls in 12th grade. There was a strong positive relation between global physical self-concept and self-esteem and a moderate inverse relation between self-esteem and depression symptoms. Physical activity and sport participation each had an indirect, positive relation with global physical self-concept that was independent of objective measures of cardiorespiratory fitness and body fatness. These correlational findings provide initial evidence suggesting that physical activity and sport participation might reduce depression risk among adolescent girls by unique, positive influences on physical self-concept that operate independently of fitness, body mass index, and perceptions of sports competence, body fat, and appearance.     

初中生自我概念、应对方式及其关系的研究

以初中197名学生为被试,研究了初中生自我概念、应对方式的特点及关系.研究表明:(1)初中生在一般自我、自我价值感、身体自我方面存在性别差异,在一般自我、学业自我方面存在年级差异,在自我价值感与身体自我概念方面存在性别与年级的交互作用,女生的自我价值感、身体自我概念随年级升高而降低.(2)初中生在应对方式方面的幻想应对上存在性别差异,在求助应对、发泄应对方面存在年级差异.(3)自我概念各因子与问题解决、求助应对存在一定的显著正相关,自我概念越积极,越有可能以问题解决、寻求帮助来应对挫折和烦恼;自我概念部分因子对应对方式的部分因子存在着不同程度的显著回归效应.     

The Peer Interaction in Primary School Questionnaire: testing for measurement equivalence and latent mean differences in bullying between gender in Egypt,Saudi Arabia and the USA

The Peer Interaction in Primary School Questionnaire (PIPSQ) was developed to assess individuals’ levels of bullying and victimization. This study used the approach of latent means analysis (LMA) within the framework of structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the factor structure and gender differences associated with the PIPSQ in a sample of Egyptian (N = 361), Saudi Arabian (N = 350) and USA (270) children. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis are consistent with previous work and support the cross-cultural validity of the PIPSQ factor structure. The PIPSQ factor loadings were invariant across Egyptian and Saudi samples, whereas only partial invariance was met between Egyptian or Saudi samples and the USA sample. Full measurement invariance was met between gender within the three cultures, that is the PIPSQ was useful to compare bullying and victims between gender within the three cultures, but it is only valid to compare those two constructs between Egyptian and Saudi boys and girls. The results indicated that Egyptian and Saudi boys/girls had a higher level of bullying than American boys/girls, whereas no differences were displayed among the three cultures on the victimization subscale. Boys had a higher level of bullying than girls in the three cultures, and boys and girls had a similar level of victimization in three cultures.     

Sex differences in grade three students' attitudes toward physical activity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes children have towards physical activity and whether boys and girls differ significantly. Sex differences were hypothesized on one or more of the subdomains of Grade 3 Children's Attitudes Toward Physical Activity inventory. The 46 boys and 51 girls ranged from 8 to 10 years of age. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated a significant effect for sex, and subsequent univariate analysis indicated that the boys had significantly lower scores than the girls on the Aesthetic subscale. Results were discussed in terms of attitides about activity in physical education classes and continued research with younger children.     

Restraint,eating disorders and need to achieve in state and public school subjects

This paper examines the relationship of social class, need to achieve and restraint to attitudes toward food, eating and weight related behaviour. The Binge-eating questionnaire (BEQ), Restraint Scale (RS), Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) and Achievement Need Questionnaire (ANQ) were administered to 96 state school girls and 88 public school girls. The factor structure of the BEQ, RS and EDI obtained in the present study were compared with subdivisions of the scales suggested by previous studies and revealed a close correspondence. Public school subjects, who were predominantly from social classes 1 and 2, obtained significantly higher scores on the Binge-eating subscale of the BEQ and the Concern with Dieting and Weight Fluctuation subscales of the RS. State school subjects, who were predominantly from social classes, 3, 4 and 5, obtained significantly higher scores on the vomiting subscale of the BEQ and the Maturity Fears and Bulimia subscales of the EDI. There were no significant main effects of achievement need with the exception of the Perfectionism subscale of the EDI and no significant interactions. Possible reasons for the apparent social class variations in eating problems are discussed.     

土家、苗、侗、藏族高中生学业自我的发展特点及对策

采用问卷法对452名民族地区的土家、苗、侗、藏族高中生的学业自我发展特点进行研究,结果表明：（1）土家、苗、侗、藏族高中生的学业自我均处于中等发展水平,民族差异不显著;（2）土家、苗、侗、藏族高中生学业自我总体上性别差异均不显著;（3）除藏族外,其他三民族高中生学业自我的年级差异均不显著,但在学业自我发展的高峰与低谷期上有所差异;（4）除苗、藏族高中生外,土家族和侗族高中生的学业自我均存在显著的城乡差异,农村高中生的学业自我水平均优于城市高中生的。     

Effects of Academic Achievement and Gender on Academic and Social Self-Concept: A Replication Study

Female and male eighth-grade students representing very high, moderately high, and average levels of achievement were compared on measures of academic and social self-concept. Most of the differences were in academic self-concept, which was positively related to level of academic achievement. There also was an interaction of gender and academic achievement on academic self-concept. Average achieving girls had lower academic self-concept scores than all other groups of students. In addition, boys scored higher than girls on measures of academic self-concept and job competence. There were no significant differences on any of the social self-concept measures. The counseling implications of these findings for gifted students and girls of average achievement are discussed.     

Self-concept and sociometric outcomes: a comparison of only children and sibling children from urban and rural areas in the People's Republic of China.

We investigated differences in self-concept between 360 only children and 555 sibling children in the sixth grade of three urban schools and three rural schools in the People's Republic of China. Peer perceptions and teacher perceptions were also collected using sociometric measures. Self-concept was determined by the Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985). Comparisons of sibling children and only children showed no differences on self-concept; however, urban residents had higher self-concept scores than children from rural areas, and boys scored higher than girls. No significant interaction effects between sibling status, gender, and residence were found.