Perceived Family and School Social Environments and Their Relationships to African Adolescents' Self-Concepts

Abstract

Contemporary theory and research have suggested that the family and the school are major institutions that contribute significantly in the development of children and adolescents. The present study thus examined the relationships between dimensions of family and school social environments and various aspects of adolescents' self-concepts. A total of 1192 secondary school students participated in the study. Results indicated that perceived parental behaviors were associated with relation, with family, general school, physical appearance, emotional stability, relations with peers, health, and global self-concepts. Perceived teacher behaviors were associated with relations with family, general school, emotional stability, health, and global self-concepts. In comparison, it was found that the relationship with perceived parental behaviors was a stronger predictor of self-concept than that of perceived teacher behaviors.