Self-Concept of African-American Students: An Operational Model for Special Education

African-American students who fail in school programs are presumed to have a “low” self-concept. However, this view fails to recognize self-concept as an observable, describable, situation-specific, and measurable phenomenon. In addition, it ignores the cultural biases and prejudices inherent in current self-concept assessment tools. In contrast, the operational model of self-concept, which defines self-descriptive behavior, permits identification of styles, strengths, and weaknesses in the areas of self-concept. The article explores methods for enhancing self-concepts of African-American students and accommodating multicultural perspectives.