A Comparative Study of the Self-Conciousness of Adolescents in Segregated and Non-Segregated Educational Settings

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine if different educational settings that is segregated and non segregated educational settings have an impact on the intensity of self-conscious feelings in adolescents (males and females). It was hypothesized that adolescents recruited from non segregated settings will exhibit higher levels of self-consciousness compared to adolescents recruited from segregated settings. It was also hypothesized that public self-consciousness will be higher in the selected age group as compared to private self-consciousness. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that girls will be more self-conscious than boys. A sample of 200 high school (O-level) students (equal number of boys and girls) aged between 14 to 17 years was selected for this study. These adolescents were selected from 5 different schools located in the city of Karachi (equal number of adolescents from segregated and non-segregated schools). The questionnaire used for this study was the revised edition of the Self-Consciousness Scale designed by Scheier and Carver (1985). Results were computed using t-test in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 22.0), which showed an insignificant difference in the levels of self-consciousness in segregated and non-segregated schools. The results demonstrated a significant difference between the levels of public and private self-consciousness where private self-consciences was higher. Furthermore significant gender difference was observed that is girls demonstrated higher level of self-consciousness as compared to boys. The results of this study can be utilised to train school counsellors as well as teachers to target and work on a natural yet crucial aspect of adolescent behavioural development namely feelings of self-consciousness.