This study examined the relative influence on children's self-esteem of academic achievement, maternal self-esteem, maternal acceptance, and children's perception of their parents' acceptance of them. Subjects were students with learning disabilities in a self-contained class (n=31), similarly diagnosed students in resource room (n=35), students in compensatory education (n=30), and nondisabled students (n=30) from Grades 3 through 6. Results showed that for the self-contained group, a child's perception of maternal and paternal acceptance plus the child's academic achievement score accounted for 58% of the variance in the child's self-esteem. None of the independent variables accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in the compensatory education and regular class groups. The self-esteem of the regular class students was significantly higher than that of the resource room students and the compensatory education students, but not significantly higher than that of the self-contained students.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ausubel, D.P., Balthazar, E., Rosenthal, I., Blackman, L., Schpoont, S., & Welkowitz, J. (1954). Perceived parent attitudes as determinants of children's ego structure. Child Development, 25, 173–183.
2.
Baruch, G.K. (1976). Girls who perceive themselves as competent: Some antecedents and correlates. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1(1), 38–49.
3.
Battle, J., & Blowers, T. (1982). A longitudinal comparative study of the self-esteem of students in regular and special education classes. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 15, 100–102.
4.
Black, F. (1974). Self-concept as related to achievement and age in learning disabled children. Child Development, 45, 1137–1140.
5.
Carroll, J.L., Friedrich, D., & Hund, J. (1984). Academic self-concept and teacher's perceptions of normal, mentally retarded, and learning disabled elementary students. Psychology in the Schools, 21, 343–348.
6.
Chapman, J.W., & Boersma, F.J. (1979). Academic self-concept in elementary learning disabled children: A study with the Students Perception of Ability Scale. Psychology in the Schools, 16, 201–206.
7.
Coleman, J.M. (1983). Self-concept and the mildly handicapped: The role of social comparisons. The Journal of Special Education, 17, 37–45.
8.
Coopersmith, S. (1967). The antecedents of self-esteem. San Francisco: Freeman.
Dickstein, E.B., & Posner, J.M. (1978). Self-esteem and relationship with parents. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 133, 273–276.
11.
Dyson, E. (1967). A study of ability grouping and the self-concept. Journal of Educational Research, 60(9), 403–405.
12.
Edell, B., & Motta, R.W. (1989). The emotional adjustment of children with Tourette's syndrome. Journal of Psychology, 65, 203–210.
13.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparisons. Human Relations, 2, 117–140.
14.
Fitts, W.H. (1965). The Tennessee self-concept scale, manual. Nashville, TN: Counselor Recordings and Tests.
15.
Gianotti, T.J., & Doyle, R.E. (1982). The effectiveness of parental training on learning disabled children and their parents. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 17, 131–136.
16.
Graybill, D. (1978). Relationship of maternal child-rearing behaviors to children's self-esteem. The Journal of Psychology, 100, 45–47.
17.
Gurian, A. (1982). Effects of age and class placement on the friendship expectation and self-concept of learning disabled children. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY.
18.
Hazzard, A., Christensen, A., & Margolin, G. (1983). Children's perceptions of parental behaviors. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 11(1), 49–60.
19.
Hilliard, T., & Roth, R.M. (1969). Maternal attitudes and the nonachievement syndrome. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 47, 424–428.
20.
Hereford, C.F. (1963). Changing parental attitudes through group discussion. Austin: University of Texas Press.
21.
Hollingshead, C. (1975). The four-factor index of socioeconomic status. New Haven, CT: Yale University.
22.
Hyman, H.H., & Singer, E. (1976). An introduction to reference group theory and research. In E.P. Hollander & R.G. Hunt (Eds.), Current perspectives in social psycholog. (2nd ed., pp. 87–97). New York: Oxford University Press.
23.
Kistner, J., Haskett, M., White, K., & Robbins, F. (1987). Perceived competence and self-worth of LD and normally achieving children. Learning Disability Quarterly, 10, 37–44.
24.
Margolies, P.J., & Weintraub, S. (1977). The revised 56-item CRPBI as a research instrument: Reliability and factor structure. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 33, 472–476.
25.
McGraw-Hill. (1986). California achievement tests, Forms E and. (Technical Bulletins 1 & 2). Monterey, CA: Author.
26.
Nolan, S.M. (1987). Relationship of child's self-concept, perception of parents' attitude toward child, and academic achievement. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY.
27.
Omizo, M.M., Amerikaner, M.J., & Michael, W.B. (1985). The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory as a predictor of feelings and communication satisfaction toward parents among learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and normal adolescents. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 45, 389–395.
28.
Piers, E.V. (1969). The Piers-Harris children's self-concept scale. Nashville, TN: Counselor Recordings and Tests.
29.
Purkey, W.W. (1970). Self-concept and school achievement. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
30.
Ribner, S. (1978). The effects of special class placement on the self-concept of exceptional children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 11, 319–323.
31.
Serot, N.M., & Teevan, R.C. (1961). Perception of the parent-child relationship and its relation to child adjustment. Child Development, 32, 373–378.
32.
Schaefer, E.S. (1965). Children's reports on parental behavior: An inventory. Child Development, 36, 413–424.
33.
Schurr, K.T., Towne, R.C., & Joiner, L.M. (1972). Trends in self-concept of ability over two years of special class placement. The Journal of Special Education, 6, 161–166.
34.
Schwyhart, F. (1967). Explorations of the self-concept of retarded readers in relation to reading achievement. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson.
35.
Shavelson, R.J., Hubner, J.J., & Stanton, G.C. (1976). Self-concept: Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407–441.
36.
Smith, M.D., Dokecki, P.R., & Davis, E.E. (1977). School-related factors influencing the self-concepts of children with learning problems. Peabody Journal of Education, 54, 185–195.
37.
Smith, M.D., Zingale, S.A., & Coleman, J.M. (1978). The influence of adult expectancy/child performance discrepancies upon children's self-concepts. American Educational Research Journal, 15(2), 259–265.
38.
Stager, S.F., Chassin, L., & Young, R.D. (1983). Determinants of self-esteem among labelled adolescents. Social Psychology Quarterly, 46(1), 3–10.
39.
Strang, L., Smith, M.D., & Rogers, C.M. (1978). Social comparison, multiple reference groups and the self-concepts of academically handicapped children before and after mainstreaming. Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(4), 487–497.
40.
Tocco, T.S., & Bridges, C.M. (1973). The relationships between the self-concepts of mothers and their children. Child Study Journal, 3(4), 161–179.
41.
Wylie, R.C. (1974). The self-concept: A critical survey of pertinent research literature. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
