Cross-cultural comparison of the development of self-concept in Indian and white children / by Ford R. Cranwell. --

Abstract

The present research was designed to investigate the differences between Indian and white children on; (A) the dimensions and attributes comprising self-concept; and (B) the developmental changes in self-concept. in this study, 71 Indian and 149 white children between the ages of 8 and 13 years were tested on three measures of self-concept; (1) the "Twenty Statements" Test (Kuhn & McPartland, 1954); (2) Mohr's (1978) transformation tasks; and (3) a modified version of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (Piers, 1969), In this investigation, a distinction was made between two aspects of self-concept; (1) figurative - which referred to the specific dimensions and attributes that comprise self-concept; and (2) operative - which referred to the underlying organization and structure of the dimensions and attributes that are influenced by development. In the present investigation, a number of figurative differences were found between the self-concept of Indian and white children on the modified version of the Piers-Harris, and on the "Twenty Statements" Test. ‘ The self-descriptions of Indian children contained a greater number of references made to; independence; family ties; emotion; sharing; and respect for traditional customs and beliefs, than white children. In addition, Indian children were less positive in their attitude toward formal education than white children. Furthermore, the self-description of Indian males contained fewer references made to possessions, while the self-descriptions of Indian females contained a greater number of references made to their relationship with nature. There were a number of changes with age in the operative aspect of self-concept. First, self-concept was found to become less externally orientated and more internally orientated. This trend was shown for both Indian and white children; however, based on the results from the transformation tasks, the progression from external orientation to internal orientation was developmentally delayed in Indian children. Finally, there was an increased emphasis on group membership for males only.