Influence of self-concept on school adjustment among middle-school students

The view that children's self-concepts influence their school adjustment and behavior is widely accepted, but the strength of the influence and the contribution of specific self-concept dimensions to children's nonacademic performance in school are uncertain. This issue is important in view of evidence that behavior problems are acute among minority children in inner-city public schools. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between specific self-concept dimensions and school adjustment in three areas: (a) general classroom behavior, (b) group participation, and (c) attitude toward authority, as assessed by teachers. The sample consisted of 142 American middle-school children who attended four inner-city public schools. The results showed that significant bivariate correlations existed between each self-concept dimension on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the three behavioral domains studied. Stepwise multiple regression procedures also indicated strong individual and combined predictive power among the self-concept dimensions.