Self-Concept Development of Ghanaian School Children

In this study, we examined the development of self-concept among Ghanaian school children in Grades 2, 4, 6, and 8. A total of 195 school children from the Accra region of Ghana participated. The self-knowledge, self-esteem, and self-ideal of the subjects were measured in four school-related areas. These areas were physical maturity, peer relations, academic success, and school adaptiveness. The results of this study indicated that (a) the self-concepts of Ghanaian school children were different according to the construct area being tested, (b) there were no self-concept differences between sexes of the same grade level, (c) the role of gender in self-concept development seemed negligible, and (d) grade level emerged as the most potent variable in the development of self-concept of the Ghanaian school children that we tested. These findings substantiate self-concept research results reported on school children from Western cultures.