The self-esteem of black university students
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Date
1986-09
Authors
Howcroft, John Gregory
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State (Vista)
Abstract
The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the
effectiveness (representativeness) of a variety of instruments that
are intended to measure the level of global and specific dimensions
of self-esteem, and the level of defensiveness amongst Black
university students. The literature review emphasized: (a) the
lnconclusiveness .of the operationalization of self-esteem; (b) the
neglect of the dimensions of self-esteem; (c) the paucity of
attempts at cross-method convergence; (d) the neglect to specify the
measurement context; (e) the inattention being paid to the role of
defensiveness on self-report measures; and (f) the paucity of
research into Black self-esteem in this country. Following the
literature review,
of Black students.
were tested.
a number of hypotheses were tested among groups
A total of 430 first year full-time students. A major purpose of the research was to determine the effect of
specific measurement· contexts upon self-esteem and defensiveness.
Using Levene's variance-ratio test, the results indicated that
different measurement contexts produced no significant differences
between groups with regard to measures of global and the dimensions
of self-esteem. However, the results revealed significant
differences between groups with regard to measures of defensiveness.
A further purpose of ".he research was to descriptively illustrate
the characteristics of self-esteem with regard to measures of
central tendency. The data. revealed that Black university students
possess a moderately positive level of global self-esteem, and a
mar.kedly elevated level of academic self-esteem. The data also
indicated that those groups who had been exposed to a measurement
context with inherently greater demand characteristics revealed a
higher level of defensiveness than those groups who had been exposed
to a context with fewer demand characteristics. A third purpose of the research was to examine the intercorrelations
of various measures of self-esteem and defensiveness in
order to identify the most "representative" measurement procedures
respectively. The results indicated that Coopersmith's Self-Esteem
Inventory (a measure of global self-esteem), Brookover's
Self-Concept of Ability Scale (a measure of academic self-esteem),
and Marlowe-Crowne's Social Desirability Scale (a measure of
defensiveness) possessed the highest levels of cross-method
convergence.
A fourth purpose of the research was to examine the relationship
between self-esteem and defensiveness. The results revealed a
highly significant correlation between self-esteem and defensiveness. Finally, the data of a post-hoc analysis partly confirm that
personality traits as measured by standardized South African tests
appear to be significantly related to measures of global and
academic self-esteem and defensiveness.
In conclusion, it is suggested that further cross-method studies of
self-esteem be conducted in South Africa within and across different
ethnic groups, and serious attention be paid to the use of more than
one modality of the measurement of self-esteem.
Description
Keywords
Self-esteem, Defensiveness (Psychology), Thesis (D.Phil. (Psychology)--University of the Free State (Vista), 1986