The impact of attributional feedback on the self-concept of children aged four to six years in preschool

Abstract

The present study aimed to improve the self-concept of 116 children aged four to six years of age in their preschool classrooms through the use of attributional feedback strategies by their teaching staff. Staff from five preschool centres working with nine class groups participated. Staff were involved in a professional development process aimed at improving their knowledge of self-concept in children aged four to six years of age. The self-concept of all children involved in the study was measured using Bornholt's (1996) Aspects of Self Knowledge about Activities (ASK-KIDS) and Burnett's (1997) Behavioural Indicators of Self-Esteem (BIOS) checklist. Data from these quantitative measures indicated that the self-concept scores of all students improved and this positive effect was measured in all three areas of self-concept: academic, social and physical.