Self-concept in children with attention deficits.

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• The BASTA project investigated children with attention deficits and hyperactivity attending remedial classes.
• An interdisciplinary approach combining social science and medicine was employed.
• The study focused on social interaction, self-concept, and classroom climate within a socio-cultural framework.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the self-concept of children with attention deficits and hyperactivity in remedial settings.
• To determine if improvements in basic academic skills correlate with changes in self-concept.
• To compare self-concept levels between children in the BASTA project and a similar control group.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative data collection.
• Socio-cultural analysis focusing on pupil's social interaction, self-concept, and classroom environment.
• Comparison of self-concept data (academic, social, personal, global) from the BASTA project with a similar study.

Main Results:

• Contrary to expectations, improved reading, writing, and mathematics skills did not significantly alter children's self-concept.
• Minimal to nonexistent differences were observed in academic, social, personal, and global self-concept between the BASTA project and comparison groups.
• Children in remedial classes tended to report higher self-concept than warranted, often associated with past academic or social failures.

Conclusions:

• Remedial interventions aimed at basic skills may not directly impact the self-concept of children with attention deficits and hyperactivity.
• The self-concept of these children appears resilient or influenced by factors beyond immediate academic improvement.
• Higher self-concept reports may reflect coping mechanisms or a disconnect from actual performance, possibly linked to prior negative experiences.