Instruction in developmental psychology and its influence on self-concept

This study was designed to explore the influence of a unit of instruction in developmental psychology upon the self-concept and academic achievement of 13-year-old adolescents. Participants were 82 junior high school students in British Columbia. Forty-three students received ten 45-minute instructional sessions dealing with the principles of adolescent development; 39 students served as a control group. It was concluded that the unit of instruction did not significantly improve self-concept. The short duration of treatment was identified as the most probable factor in the failure to achieve change. A positive relationship was established between the achievement scores on the knowledge test of developmental psychology and self-concept.