Abstract
<p style="text-align:justify">This study was designed to investigate the state of self-concept among Chilean and Portuguese university students with disabilities with the aim of introducing proposals to help their inclusion and academic performance. First, the two samples compared separately students with and without disabilities with their peers and subsequently both were compared with students with disabilities from both countries. The role of gender and participation in support programmes for students with disabilities was also examined. The instrument used was the AF5-Scale, which assesses five dimensions of self-concept (academic, social, emotional, family and physical) and a socio-demographic form. The results (applying a non-parametric analysis) showed that students with disabilities in both countries presented lower scores for physical self-concept than peers without disabilities, the Chilean students being those who obtained the lower scores when comparing only students with disabilities. Women showed higher academic self-concept, but worse emotional self-concept than men. Finally, it was found that students participating in support programmes have a higher physical self-concept than those who do not. It is concluded that a way to improve the deficit in self-concept in both samples could be associated with participation in these support programmes.</p>
Highlights
In Chile and Portugal, as in most Western countries, access to college for people with disabilities is on the rise (Abu-Hamour, 2013; Konur, 2006)
These results match those found in the Portuguese sample, where university students with disabilities have significantly lower scores in physical self-concept (p = .04)
It is possible to argue that the presence of disability in both Chilean and Portuguese university students is associated with lower levels of physical self-concept, as they perceive themselves to be physically less attractive and competent than their peers without disabilities, presenting a more negative image of themselves
Summary
In Chile and Portugal, as in most Western countries, access to college for people with disabilities is on the rise (Abu-Hamour, 2013; Konur, 2006). The sustained increase in admissions to higher education and the barriers that still remain have led to the creation of services for students with disablity, as they often present greater difficulties than the general population because, besides their own situation of disability they have to overcome various barriers, from the architectural to the psychosocial (Polo-Sanchez and López-Justicia, 2012). In this regard, it may be noted that one of the variables most studied in people with disabilities is that of self-concept (Gonzalez and Touron, 1994). Shavelson et al (1979) and González-Pienda et al (2003) propose a model of hierarchical and multidimensional selfconcept, in which self-concept is the result of partial perceptions of self in different areas or dimensions: academic / professional, social, emotional, family and physical
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