Gender-Specific Factors of Self-Concept in Korean Middle School Students

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Corresponding author: So Young Shin, Department of Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, 120-2004 LG Metrocity Apt., Yongho-dong, Nam-gu, Busan, Korea

Tel: +82-51-931-7221, E-mail: [email protected] Received April 8, 2012, Revised June 10, 2012

Accepted June 30, 2012

Gender-Specific Factors of Self-Concept in Korean Middle School Students

*Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Inje University, Busan, Korea,

†

Department of Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Jeongyee Bae*, So Young Shin

^†

This study investigated gender differences in the level of self-concept and identified predictors affecting self-concept in Korean middle school students. The sample of this study included 920 male and 968 female middle school students in Busan. Subjects completed self-report questionnaire during in-person study visits. Six 4-point Likert scales, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree), were used to measure self-concept and its seven related-factors. Scheffe’s test, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The degree of self-concept was higher in males than females. Age, economic status, education of parents, academic ranking, running away, invalid school absences, getting into fights, and suicidal attempts showed significant differences in both male and female self-concept. However, self-concept was not significantly different in terms of students’ religion and sexual experience in both genders. Predictors of self-concept in both genders were family satisfaction, social support (peer and teacher), school adjustment, and school achievement. However, parental acceptance was significantly associated with female self-concept only. The findings of this study suggest the importance of learning gender-specific predictors affecting adolescent self-concept. Developing and implementing appropriate and effective gender-specific programs is critical to promote high self-concept for today’s youth. (Korean J Str Res 2012;20:87∼95)

Key Words: Adolescence, Self-concept, Sex difference, Mental health

INTRODUCTION

Many past events have indicated that adolescent issues contribute to serious social problems if they are not recognized, prevented, and treated earlier (Shavelson et al., 1976; Dusek et al., 1981; Sim HS et al., 1998; Jang HJ et al., 2002; Lee CS et al., 2006; Phillips et al., 2007). Previous studies have reported that

self-concept is one of the most important factors in preventing, adjusting to, and coping with mental and behavioral problems encountered by most adolescents (Dekovic et al., 1997; Kim SA et al., 1998; Park JW, 2003; Kim UC et al., 2006; Rhee D et al., 2007; Ybrandt, 2008). These mental and behavioral problems such as anxiety and depression are important predisposing factors that may result in delinquent behaviors in adolescence (Bae JY, 2008).

During adolescence, physical, psychological, social, and environ- mental changes occur as self-concept development progresses.

However, the changes in males differ from those experienced by

females (Rosenberg et al., 1975). Many researchers in western

countries have investigated the issue of gender differences in

self-concept (Rosenberg et al., 1975; Byrne et al., 1987; Marsh,

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1993; Hay, 2000; Raty et al., 2005), however, only a paucity of studies was conducted in eastern counties. Cultural backgrounds may play an important role on this issue due to different role ex- pectations and social status by gender. Eastern culture is more male-dominated compared to western counties. Therefore, consid- ering gender differences in the development of self-concept and gender-specific predictors of self-concept may be more important in eastern culture compared to that of western countries. In east- ern countries including Korea, existing sexual discrimination to- wards achieving better social status may have strong but different impact on the development of self-concept by gender (Liu et al., 2005).

Most studies about Korean adolescents have focused on influ- encing factors of self-concept including family (autonomy, family satisfaction, and parental acceptance), social support (peer and teacher support), and school (school achievement and adjustment) (Kim GJ, 1984; Bae JY et al., 2008). However, there is lack of information on the gender differences in the level of self-concept.

Adolescence is an important period of establishing self-concept. If adolescents could not properly resolve conflicts and impulses and fail to establish self-concept, this may result indelinquent behav- iors and social problems. According to Kim HS(2002), there was a difference in prevalence of delinquent behaviors, dysfunctional family environments, antisocial personality, and depression be- tween male and female adolescents. The author also found a gen- der difference in contributing factors of these delinquent behaviors.

Because alcohol, drug, and smoking problems in females have been increased in these days and delinquent behaviors in females is linked to severer social problemssuch as prostitution, abortion, or single mother than males (Kim HS, 2002), examining gender differences in adolescents is important.

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in the level of self-concept and to identify gender-specific predicting factors affecting self-concept in Korean middle school students. The issue of self-concept in middle school students is not just an individual matter but needs a comprehensive approach in the context of interrelations among students, family, and school. Therefore, we examined individual, family, and school related factors as potentialcontributing factors of self-concept.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

1. Sample and settings

This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive research design.

To be gender-specific, this study treated the sample in three ways: males only, females only, and overall.

Using a convenient sampling method, 920 (48.7%) male and 968 (51.3%) female students (Total N=1,888) from Busan co-ed- ucational middle schools in Korea were included in this study.

Data collection was conducted through visit-surveys using self-re- port questionnaire. Prior to class visits, the primary investigator acquired permission from school administrators and teachers of the chosen middle schools explaining the nature of the study.

During the scheduled class visits, brief and clear instructions were given to students in answering the questionnaires. Participants were assured that there were no right or wrong answers and they were encouraged to ask any questions that might occur to them anytime regarding the process. In addition, students were in- formed that their identities were to be kept confidential.

2. Measures

The participants accomplished the questionnaire in about 10∼

15 minutes. Six 4-point Likert-type scales, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree), were used to measure self-concept and its seven related-factors. Validity and reliability of each instrument was verified and tested for this study.

Thirty items were derived from the Self-concept Scale for Adolescents developed by Park NS et al.(1992) to assess students’

self-concept. This tool included statements such as “I am proud of myself” and “I will be successful in the future.” A higher score indicated high positive self-concept. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .89.

Parental child-bearing attitude was assessed with 12 items derived from a 4-point Likert-type tool developed by Kim GJ (1984) assessing parental acceptance-refusal (6 items) and autono- my-control (6 items). A total score ranged from 12 to 48 with a higher score indicating a high degree of acceptant and autonomous parental attitude. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were .80 for autonomy and .77 for control, respectively.

Family satisfaction was assessed with 10-items derived from the

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Table 1. Degree of self-concept according to general characteristics.

Characteristics N (%) Mean±SD t or F p (Scheffe)

Male (N=920) Female (N=968) Male Female Male Female Male Female

Grade 1

^st

grade

^a

2

^nd

grade

^b

3

^rd

grade

^c

Economic state Very poor

^a

Rather poor

^b

Average

^c

Rather rich

^d

Very rich

^e

No response Religion Protestant Catholic Buddhism None No response Father’s education Middle school High school

^a

College

^b

Graduate

^c

No response Mother’s education Middle school

^a

High school

^b

College

^c

Graduate

^d

No response Academic ranking ≥5

^a

6∼10

^b

11∼20

^c

21∼30

^d

＜30

^e

No response

317 (34.5) 235 (25.5) 368 (40.0)

14 (1.5) 89 (9.7) 627 (68.2) 161 (17.5) 18 (1.9) 11 (1.2)

201 (21.9) 73 (7.9) 309 (33.6) 336 (36.5)

1 (0.1)

21 (2.3) 274 (29.8) 436 (47.4) 128 (13.9) 61 (6.6)

20 (2.2) 380 (41.3) 382 (41.5) 76 (8.3) 62 (6.7)

132 (14.3) 152 (16.5) 315 (34.2) 231 (25.1) 79 (8.7) 11 (1.2)

286 (29.5) 325 (33.6) 357 (36.9)

11 (1.1) 103 (10.6) 691 (71.4) 146 (15.1) 11 (1.1) 6 (0.7)

255 (26.3) 49 (5.1) 326 (33.7) 330 (34.1) 8 (0.8)

21 (2.2) 334 (34.5) 481 (49.7) 93 (9.6) 39 (4.0)

30 (3.1) 460 (47.5) 384 (39.7) 54 (5.6) 40 (4.1)

149 (15.4) 178 (18.4) 273 (28.2) 249 (25.7) 92 (9.5) 27 (2.8)

83.63±11.41 81.68±12.33 80.82±10.67

75.71±18.91 78.66±13.70 81.26±10.38 86.34±11.78 89.85±10.59

82.39±11.49 82.77±11.49 82.20±12.24 81.42±10.60

82.41±11.82 80.35±11.61 82.82±11.25 84.45±11.24

81.11±13.79 81.44±11.64 82.63±10.75 84.06±12.62

86.23±12.26 84.19±10.46 82.10±10.74 79.76±10.81 77.10±13.02

82.06±12.04 78.93±12.35 79.95±11.78

68.00±16.44 74.69±11.33 80.17±11.73 86.33±10.97 84.36±17.16

79.45±13.17 82.49±11.90 80.55±11.45 80.74±12.06

76.65±13.31 77.87±11.23 81.74±12.54 82.71±11.85

73.03±11.68 79.35±11.84 81.98±12.13 81.59±12.87

85.41±10.29 83.70±11.37 81.46±11.89 76.41±11.57 73.31±12.07

5.32

12.06

0.50

4.51

1.47

12.32

7.46

18.93

1.10

8.68

7.29

27.57 .005 a＞b

＜.001 d, e＞a, b, c

.680

.004 a＜b, c

.220

＜.001 a＞c, d, e

＜.001 a＞b, c

＜.001 d, e＞a, b, c

.347

＜.001 a＜b, c

＜.001 c, d＞a, b

＜.001 d, e＜a, b, c Korean Life Satisfaction Scale for Adolescence (KLSSA) (Kwak KJ,

1995). The KLSSA is a 4-point Likert-type tool that included statements such as “I’m very happy when I spend time with my family.” A total score ranged from 10 to 40 with a higher score indicating thata child was highly satisfied with his/her family.

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .90.

School adjustment was assessed using Sim HS and Kim MK’s (1998) questionnaire measuring students’ school attachment, adaptation, and adjustment. Nine out of 10 items were derived that included items such as “I study hard and do my best in

school.” A high score indicated high school adjustment.

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .65.

The 6-item self-report Perceived Competence Scale (PCS) developed by Harter (1982) was used to assess school achievement that included items such as “I think I study well.” A high score indicated high academic skills. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .85.

The Social Support Appraisal (SS-A) scale was originally

developed by Vaux et al. (1986) to assess social support. It had

two subcategories, i.e., peer support and teacher support, and

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Table 1. Continued.

Characteristics N (%) Mean±SD t or F p (Scheffe)

Male (N=920) Female (N=968) Male Female Male Female Male Female

Running away from home None

^a

Thought of

^b

Once

^c

Twice and up

^d

No response

Sexually related experience None

1∼2 times 3∼4 times ≥5 times No response Invalid school absences None

^a

1∼2 times 3∼4 times

^b

≥5 times No response Getting into fights None

^a

1∼2 times

^b

3∼4 times

^c

≥5 times

^d

No response Suicidal attempt None

^a

Thought of

^b

Attempted

^c

No response

398 (43.3) 437 (47.5) 33 (3.6) 28 (3.0) 24 (2.6)

802 (87.2) 65 (7.1) 18 (2.0) 21 (2.3) 13 (1.4)

841 (91.3) 52 (5.7) 9 (1.0) 9 (1.0) 9 (1.0)

728 (79.1) 120 (13.0) 17 (1.8) 36 (3.9) 19 (2.2)

678 (73.7) 219 (23.8) 7 (0.8) 16 (1.7)

368 (38.0) 530 (54.8) 36 (3.7) 18 (1.9) 16 (1.6)

912 (94.2) 28 (2.9) 5 (0.5) 17 (1.8) 6 (0.6)

910 (94.0) 36 (3.7) 9 (0.9) 5 (0.5) 8 (0.9)

855 (88.5) 74 (7.6) 11 (1.1) 13 (1.3) 15 (1.5)

497 (51.3) 426 (44.1) 30 (3.1) 15 (1.5)

85.28±10.96 79.42±11.23 82.47±10.68 76.86±12.28

81.96±11.44 84.12±10.44 77.66±11.30 79.11±11.92

82.47±11.29 78.04±11.13 67.66±14.79 75.55±7.50

82.08±11.29 83.23±11.25 78.25±9.19 79.63±14.52

83.83±10.38 76.88±12.45 68.00±15.76

85.95±10.42 77.08±11.97 77.16±11.75 71.77±8.06

80.37±12.02 81.23±14.64 76.80±9.67 80.17±15.52

80.71±12.25 74.94±8.75 80.29±5.56 71.60±11.08

81.29±11.77 73.53±11.49 71.09±13.13 71.64±18.35

85.05±10.10 76.01±12.07 67.92±11.27

21.32

2.07

8.43

1.60

39.02

49.06

0.19

3.52

14.45

96.57 ＜.001 a＞b, d

.102

＜.001 a＞b

.188

＜.001 a＞b, c

＜.001 a＞b, c, d

.901

.015 a＞b

＜.001 a＞b, c, d

＜.001 a＞b, c

included statements such as “My friends help me” and “My teachers are concerned when I’m sick.” A high score indicated high support received from friends and teachers. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were .87 for peer support and .77 for teacher support, respectively.

3. Analyses

Separate analyses for male, female, and overall sample were performed. Descriptive statistics were conducted to analyze the general characteristics of the sample. Independent sample t-test, ANOVA test, and Scheffe’s test were conducted to assess differences in the level of self-concept according to general characteristics. Pearson’s correlation analysis identified significant relationships between related factors and self-concept. Multiple regression analysis determined the significant factors affecting

self-concept in male and female middle school students. All analyses were conducted using the SPSS Statistics, version 17.0.

RESULTS

1. General characteristics

The general characteristics of the sample are presented in Table 1. Self-concept was significantly different according to grade levels in both male and female, and Scheffe test showed that 1

^st

grade male and female students had higher self-concept than students in 2

^nd

or 3

^rd

grades.

The majority of the subjects for both genders reported their

economic status as average, and self-concept was significantly

different according to economic status. Scheffe test for both

genders revealed that above average and very rich students had

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Table 3. Correlation between related factors and self-concept.

Sex X1 r (p) X2 r (p) X3 r (p) X4 r (p) X5 r (p) X6 r (p) X7 r (p)

X2

X3

X4

X5

X6

X7

X8 M

F M F M F M F M F M F M F

.422 (＜.001) .502 (＜.001) .205 (＜.001) .248 (＜.001) .474 (＜.001) .571 (＜.001) .478 (＜.001) .431 (＜.001) .298 (＜.001) .346 (＜.001) .532 (＜.001) .604 (＜.001) .250 (＜.001) .245 (＜.001)

.173 (＜.001) .250 (＜.001) .620 (＜.001) .683 (＜.001) .317 (＜.001) .310 (＜.001) .220 (＜.001) .272 (＜.001) .368 (＜.001) .351 (＜.001) .158 (＜.001) .101 (.002)

.277 (＜.001) .328 (＜.001) .092 ( .005) .117 (＜.001) .080 ( .015) .067 ( .038) .152 (＜.001) .187 (＜.001) .013 (.692) .081 (.012)

.284 (＜.001) .310 (＜.001) .211 (＜.001) .328 (＜.001) .402 (＜.001) .433 (＜.001) .152 (＜.001) .096 (.003)

.247 (＜.001) .213 (＜.001) .401 (＜.001) .351 (＜.001) .118 (＜.001) .130 (＜.001)

.399 (＜.001) .431 (＜.001) .102 (.002) .066 (.039)

.173 (＜.001) .235 (＜.001) X1: self-concept, X2: parental acceptance, X3: autonomy, X4: family satisfaction, X5: peer support, X6: teacher support, X7: school adjustment, X8:

school achievement, M: male, F: female.

Table 2. Degree of related factors of self-concept.

Variables Mean±SD Min Max Range

Self-concept Male Female Parental acceptance Male

Female Autonomy Male Female Family satisfaction Male

Female Peer support Male Female Teacher support Male Female School adjustment Male

Female

School achievement Male

Female

82.01±11.43 80.40±12.13

18.00±3.03 18.08±3.17

18.99±3.35 19.99±3.33

29.96±6.04 29.57±5.93

24.03±3.85 25.54±3.73

20.31±4.05 20.62±4.03

27.30±3.43 27.04±3.45

11.57±4.34 11.20±3.66

36 38

6 6

10 10

8 8

8 9

13 13

6 6

116 115

24 24

40 40

32 32

31 31

39 38

24 24

30∼120

6∼24

10∼40

8∼32

10∼40

6∼24 higher self-concept than average and relatively poor students.

Almost 80% of male and 85% of female students reported that their parents have had high school or college education. However,

only father’s education showed significant difference in self-concept in both genders. Students who had fathers with at least college education had higher self-concept than other students. Mother’s education was significantly different in female self-concept only.

Academic ranking also showed significant difference in self-concept for both genders. More than half of both male and female students reported that they ranked 11th∼30th in class.

Scheffe test showed that male students within the top 5 rank had higher self-concept; while female students within the top 20 had higher self-concept than those with lower class ranking.

Majority of male and female students reported not to have experienced any of the followings: running away, sexual relationship, invalid school absences, getting into fights, and suicidal attempt. Among these factors, running away, invalid school absences, and suicidal attempt showed significant difference in self-concept; while getting into fights was statistically significant in female self-concept only. Scheffe test found that for those who haven’t experienced these behaviors revealed higher self-concept than those who have thought about it or have actually done it. Religion and sexual related experience were not statistically different in middle school students’ self-concept in both genders.

2. Degree of self-concept and related factors

Female students showed higher parental acceptance, autonomy,

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Table 4. Effects of related factors on self-concept (N=1,888).

Variables

β t p

M F O M F O M F O

Parental acceptance Autonomy Family satisfaction Peer support Teacher support School adjustment School achievement

.076 .077 .194 .252 .063 .266 .126

.134 - .262 .169 - .361 .099

.104 .044 .234 .186 .045 .319 .114

2.38 2.98 5.89 9.18 2.30 8.83 5.01

4.39 - 8.27 6.95 - 13.96

4.35 4.65 2.50 10.11 10.18 2.42 15.77 6.71

.017 .003

＜.001

＜.001 .021

＜.001

＜.001 -

＜.001

＜.001 -

＜.001

＜.001 M: male, R2: 45.2%, F: 107.54, p＜.001, F: female, R2: 53.1%, F: 218.24, p＜.001, O: overall, R2=48.5%, F: 253.18, p＜.001.

peer support, and teacher support than male students. However, male students exhibited higher degree of family satisfaction and school adjustment and achievement than female students. The degree of overall self-concept in relation to other factors was high (81.20±11.82), and it is noticeable that female self-concept was lower than male self-concept (Table 2).

Correlation analyses presented in Table 3 showed significant re- lationships among self-concept and other 7 factors in both genders. Although the relationships among self-concept and these related factors have already been reported in previous studies, their gender-specific relationships have not been studied. In a sep- arate correlational analysis, in males, autonomy was not related to school achievement, and teacher support was negatively related to autonomy. In females, those with significantly low relationships were: teacher support to autonomy, school achievement to au- tonomy, and school achievement to teacher support.

3. Predictors of self-concept

In multiple regression analyses, the model with seven factors explained 45.2% of the variance in male self-concept (F=107.54, p＜.001). Significant factors affecting self-concept in male middle school students were: family satisfaction, peer support, school adjustment, and school achievement. The model with seven factors explained 53% of the variance in female self-concept (F=218.24, p＜.001). Five factors were significant predictors affecting self-concept in female middle school students, i.e., parental acceptance, family satisfaction, peer support, school adjustment, and school achievement (Table 4).

DISCUSSION

This study found that self-concept is higher in male than female students. Park JW(2003) reported similar results in a large adolescent self-concept study in Canada. In this study, social influencing factorson self-concept found to be common in both genders was family satisfaction and peer support. As Gilman et al.(2008) reported in their cross-national study, Korean adolescents have the highest family satisfaction compared to American, Irish, and Chinese adolescents.

Family satisfaction, peer support, and parental acceptance affected self-concept in females while males were affected by the first two factors. A tight bond between family and close friends exists in Asian culture (Han SS et al., 2006; Kim UC et al., 2006). As youth enters adolescence, this bond becomes even more influential and affects the development of their self-concept. In a study of adolescents by Dusek et al.(1981), analyses of factor scores revealed sex differences consistent with sex-role stereotypes.

Hay(2000) reported that adolescent boys usually showed antisocial behaviors associated with striving for a masculine self-image, which in turn devoid them of depending on older influence like parents or teachers.

Autonomy and teacher support were not significant predictors

of male and female self-concept in this study. The insignificance

of autonomy to self-concept is in contrast to other studies show-

ing that autonomous adolescents have higher self-concept (Dusek

et al., 1981). The irrelevance of teacher support with adolescent

self-concept emphasizes the need for further involvement of men-

tors and improvement in educational programs on nurturing ado-

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lescents’ positive self-concept development. This is in concordance to Kim UC et al.(2006) who reported that the support from teachers was important when children were young, but teachers’

influence decreased as children became older. Only close-in rela- tions such as friends and family are kept significant while pro- fessional relations such as teacher support is not (Zimmer- Gembeck et al., 2007).

Grade level, economic status, parents’ education, academic standing, and adolescent behavioral problems were significant to both male and female adolescent self-concept. In a multidimen- sional adolescent report, Gilman et al. (2008) found that grade level is not associated with adolescent self-concept. However, an- other study reported that grade level and economic status were significantly related to self-concept (Marsh et al., 1985). In a gen- der-specific study, Rosenberg et al. (1975) reported similar results that grade level, economic standing, and parental backgrounds were significant to the level of adolescent self-concept. As adoles- cents enter a middle school, they begin conceptualizing and iden- tifying themselves through their current socioeconomic and aca- demic status and also through their parents’ backgrounds.

Because the previous study findings are controversial, these factors should be investigated further.

Behavioral problems such as running away from home, invalid absences fromschool, getting into fights, and even suicidal attempts were found to be significant to self-concept in both male and female students. These behavioral problems are positively related to adolescent depression (Kim SA et al., 1998). Promoting self-concept may help prevent adolescent depression and these delinquent behavioral problems as well.

In this study, school achievement and school adjustment were predictors of male and female self-concept. This is similar to Bae JY’s(2008) model on Korean adolescent depression reporting that self-concept was significantly related to academic adjustment and achievement in predicting adolescent depression. According to Brookover et al. (1962), self-concept is the key to academic achievement. This is because, as reported, East Asian students be- come high achievers because education is valued in their culture, hence, children learn to discipline and focus themselves in order to gain high achievements in school (Kim UC et al., 2006). This is very stressful for common Korean students, therefore, it is nec- essary to help them cope with and adjust to school pressure.

Coping helps a child become a productive part of society.

One limitation for this study is the use of convenient sampling which might exclude others in the general population. The strength of this study is the assessment of multidimensional factors that are known as significant factors associated with adolescent self-conceptin a large sample of middle school students.

In this study, the degree of self-concept in Korean adolescents was found to be relatively high. There was a difference in factors affecting self-concept between male and female students. The fol- lowing factors influenced adolescent self-concept: family sat- isfaction, parental acceptance, peer support, school achievement, and school adjustment. Among these factors, however, parental acceptance was associated with female self-concept only. These findings suggest that future studies identifying specific contrib- utors to adolescent self-concept should be conducted to have im- portant implications to gender differences.

The findings of this study provided pertinent and gender-specific information to researchers, educators, health professionals, and other concerned authorities in that they teach and develop self-concept promotional strategies appropriate for each gender.

Proper counseling and treatment should be designed and provided to students with low self-concept, especially high-risk populations such as academically and socioeconomically poor students, to prevent them from experiencing depression or anxiety which may lead to unfavorable delinquent behaviors.

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= 국문초록 =

본 연구는 아동기에서 청소년기로 넘어가는 과도기이며 사춘기가 시작되어 중요한 시기인 중학생들의 자아개념 정 도를 파악하고, 성별에 따른 차이 및 주요 관련 요인들을 규명하여, 중학생들의 긍정적인 자아개념 형성을 통한 정 신건강 증진에 기여하고자 하였다. 본 연구의 대상자는 부산시에 소재한 중학교에 재학중인 남학생 920명과 여학생 968명으로서, 총 8개의 측정도구를 이용하였다. 자아개념은 Park과 Oh(1992)가 개발한 청소년 자아개념척도를 이용 하여 조사하였다. 부모의 수용성과 자율성은 Kim(1984)의 부모 양육태도검사 도구 중 부모의 수용성과 자율성 척도 를, 가정만족도는 Kwak(1995)이 제작한 청소년용 삶의 만족도 검사(Korean Life Satisfaction Scale for Adolescence, KLSSA) 도구 중 가족만족도 척도를, 학업능력지각은 Harter(1982)의 학업능력지각척도(Perceived Competence Scale, PCS)를 이용 하여 측정하였다. 또한 학교적응도는 Sim과 Kim(1998)이 개발한 청소년 행동특성 설문지(K-TAI) 중학교적응도 척도 를, 교사와 친구의 지지는 Vaux 등(1986)이 개발한 사회적 지지(The Social Support Appraisal, SS-A) 도구 중 교사 및 친구 의 지지 척도를 이용하였다. 수집된 자료는 연구 목적에 따라 SPSS 17.0 통계분석프로그램을 이용하여 분석하였다.

중학생들의 자아개념은 남학생이 여학생보다 통계적으로 유의하게 높게 나타났다. 남녀 모두에서 자아개념의 정도 는 학년, 경제적 수준, 아버지의 교육 정도, 학업 성적과 가출, 무단결석 및 자살시도 경험 등의 변수에 따라 통계적 으로 유의한 차이를 보였다. 그러나 어머니의 교육 정도는 여학생에게, 패싸움 경험은 남학생에게만 차이를 보였다.

또한 남녀 모두에게서 공통적으로 부모의 수용성, 자율성, 가정에 대한 만족도, 친구 및 교사의 지지, 학교적응도 및 학업성취도 등은 자아개념에 주요한 영향을 미치는 인자로 규명되었으며, 이들의 자아개념에 대한 설명력은 48.5%였다. 특히 여학생은 부모의 수용성이 자아개념에 중요한 영향을 미치는 변수로 확인되었지만, 남학생에서는 통계적으로 유의한 영향을 미치지는 못하였다. 중학생의 긍정적인 자아개념 형성을 통한 정신건강 증진을 위하여 성별에 따른 차이를 비교하고 관련 요인들을 규명한 바, 본 연구 결과는 중학생의 정신건강분야에 대한 지식 확장과 더불어 대상자의 성별 개인별 특성을 고려하여 자아개념을 증진시킬 수 있는 중재법 개발의 지침으로 활용할 수 있을 것이다.

중심단어: 청소년, 자아개념, 성별 차이, 정신건강