The effects of a school development program on self-concept

Abstract

School improvement programs are often assessed in terms of their effect on school climate and education outcomes. The School Development Program (SDP) of the Yale Child Study Center has been shown to have a positive influence on those two factors. We also recognize the importance of positively influencing students' affective, intra-personal, and motivational states, such as their self-evaluations. The present study examined the effects of the SDP on multiple dimensions of students' self-concepts. The Piers Harris Self-Concept Scale was administered to 174 fourth and sixth graders, half of whom attended SDP schools and half control schools. Significant positive changes in self-concept were observed among the SDP students but not among the control students. Program students also showed significantly higher self-concepts on post-test measures when compared to normative samples.