Page 132 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 132
child’s self-concept (Emler, 2001), while others contend that friends and
teachers have a bigger impact on developing an individual student’s self-im-
age (e.g. Burnett & Demnar, 1996; Burns, 1982; Glazzard, 2010; Humphrey,
2003; Troia, Shankland, & Wolbers, 2012).
Learning about oneself begins with physical interactions and contin-
ues through behavioural and social development. Finally, it is psycholog-
ically internalised. During infancy, the initial mother-infant relationship
provides the responses to and acceptance of the infant by the mother. This
internalisation of the care, love and feelings of significant others during in-
fancy becomes part of the internal structure of the self-concept. It influ-
ences both the initial and subsequent levels of self-concept (Bowlby, 2008).
Throughout childhood, the child begins to interact more and more with
his/her social environment. Their level of social competence is defined by
obvious success and failure. More precisely, it is not the failure to achieve
per se that builds a negative self-concept; it is the way significant people in
the child’s life react to such failure and interpret it that defines the outcome
as a failure and thus builds the negative self-concept (Pollard & Pollard,
2014).
Middle childhood is the period when the initial rapid physical growth
and physical advancement begins to slow down (Sols & Mullen, 1982). The
child’s social experiences expand to the school environment and signifi-
cant others begin to include teachers and other adults. Self-concept in mid-
dle childhood relates especially to performance in school work tasks and
in games with friends (Bean & Lipka, 1986). This is also the period when
the academic self-concept starts to develop. The academic self-concept is
part of the self-concept that includes one’s characteristics, abilities, atti-
tudes and values that refer to one’s academic context in comparison to ac-
ademic standards and peers (Bong & Skaalvik, 2003). In their academic
context, students primarily define themselves according to the feedback
they receive from the teacher (and wider school environment) about their
academic achievements and other school-related behaviour. Establishing
a healthy academic self-concept is especially important at the beginning
of schooling, when students first receive the teacher’s feedback about their
achievements. However, each new teacher the student meets becomes an
opportunity to obtain different feedback (perhaps feedback about a new
school subject) and thus improve or expand their academic self-concept.
At the same time, each relationship with a new teacher also brings the risk
132
teachers have a bigger impact on developing an individual student’s self-im-
age (e.g. Burnett & Demnar, 1996; Burns, 1982; Glazzard, 2010; Humphrey,
2003; Troia, Shankland, & Wolbers, 2012).
Learning about oneself begins with physical interactions and contin-
ues through behavioural and social development. Finally, it is psycholog-
ically internalised. During infancy, the initial mother-infant relationship
provides the responses to and acceptance of the infant by the mother. This
internalisation of the care, love and feelings of significant others during in-
fancy becomes part of the internal structure of the self-concept. It influ-
ences both the initial and subsequent levels of self-concept (Bowlby, 2008).
Throughout childhood, the child begins to interact more and more with
his/her social environment. Their level of social competence is defined by
obvious success and failure. More precisely, it is not the failure to achieve
per se that builds a negative self-concept; it is the way significant people in
the child’s life react to such failure and interpret it that defines the outcome
as a failure and thus builds the negative self-concept (Pollard & Pollard,
2014).
Middle childhood is the period when the initial rapid physical growth
and physical advancement begins to slow down (Sols & Mullen, 1982). The
child’s social experiences expand to the school environment and signifi-
cant others begin to include teachers and other adults. Self-concept in mid-
dle childhood relates especially to performance in school work tasks and
in games with friends (Bean & Lipka, 1986). This is also the period when
the academic self-concept starts to develop. The academic self-concept is
part of the self-concept that includes one’s characteristics, abilities, atti-
tudes and values that refer to one’s academic context in comparison to ac-
ademic standards and peers (Bong & Skaalvik, 2003). In their academic
context, students primarily define themselves according to the feedback
they receive from the teacher (and wider school environment) about their
academic achievements and other school-related behaviour. Establishing
a healthy academic self-concept is especially important at the beginning
of schooling, when students first receive the teacher’s feedback about their
achievements. However, each new teacher the student meets becomes an
opportunity to obtain different feedback (perhaps feedback about a new
school subject) and thus improve or expand their academic self-concept.
At the same time, each relationship with a new teacher also brings the risk
132
