Multiple dimensions of adolescent self-concept - Relations with age, gender and scholastic measures

This study was designed to determine (a) age and gender variations in the m ultiple areas of self-concept, and (b) relations between these dimensions o f self-concept and scholastic measures. The samples comprised 274 students attending three co-educational high schools in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, Sout h Africa. Although a few statistically significant effects of age and gende r on global and domain-specific self-concepts were found, the differences a ppeared to be of little qualitative significance. The size and pattern of r elations with scholastic measures was weak. However, further investigations from an African context are necessary to provide additional support for th e claim that self-concepts are minimally influenced by human conditions suc h as age and gender and that relationships between various facets of self-c oncept and measures of academic achievement are weak.