Effect of Tactile Picture Books on the Self-Concept Development of Students with Visual Impairments

This study adopted the Delphi method to select six classic picture books on the theme of self-concept and made corresponding tactile picture books for students with visual impairments (VIs). By using cluster sampling, students with VIs age 8–10 from Grades 3 to 5 at the School for the Blind in Beijing, China, were adopted, and a total of 19 students with VIs participated in this study. Based on the pretest score of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSS), 19 participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 9) and a control group (n = 10). Students in the experimental group were given 20 lessons based on selected picture books, 45 minutes each, in 14 weeks. The results show that students in the experimental group received a significantly higher PHCSS total score than students in the control group (p < .05). Significant differences were found in the dimensions of physical appearance and attributes (p < .05) and anxiety (p < .05). Marginal significant differences were found in the dimensions of intellectual and school status (p < .1) and popularity (p < .1). No significance was found in the dimensions of behavior and of happiness and satisfaction. We explain the study's findings and implications.