Multidimensional Self‐concept: relations with age and gender among African adolescents

Abstract

The purposes of the study were (a) to test assumptions underlying the multifaceted structure of self‐concept among African adolescents and (b) to examine age and gender differences in the multiple areas of self‐concept. The Self‐Description Inventory (SDI) was administered to 813 students (13‐20 years old) who attended two public co‐educational high schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Separate factor analysis of responses by students from three age levels all clearly identified the eight SDI factors and correlations among the factors were small. Across the eight scales the age‐by‐gender interaction was significant with the particular scale. The direction of the gender effect also varied with the particular measure and was significant for the sum of all the SDI scales. Age differences were statistically significant for only one of the eight scales. These findings not only demonstrate the multidimensionality of self‐concept among African adolescents, but also have important implications for the study of Afr...