Self-concept amongst Emirati high school students: Differences and similarities

Although self-concept is a construct widely studied in the West, little is known about its features in Arab countries, especially considering high school students. Based on Marsh and Shavelson?s multidimensional and hierarchical self-concept model, this study aims to uncover individual differences amongst self-concept dimensions within Emirati high school graders. Schools were selected with support from the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority and each school selected respective classes. All the ethical approvals were ensured. A social-demographic questionnaire was built (22 items) and an adaptation of the Self-Description Questionnaire was used, with 75 items in a 6-points Likert agreement scale, distributed through seven self-concept dimensions (Verbal, Mathematics, Problem Solving, Academic, Arabic, English, Peers, and Parent Relations). Most students were females (53.7%), with ages between 13 and 20 years old (M=15.66; SD=1.03), and evenly distributed across the three high school grades: 31.8% from 10th grade, 33.4% from 11th grade, and 34.7% from 12th grade. SPSS was used to perform ANOVA and T-test analyses. Considering gender, male students present higher levels of Maths, Peers and Parents Relations self-concept than the female students. However, girls got significantly higher grades in all achievement domains (Maths, English, Arabic, GPA). They also perceive themselves as significantly studying more hours a week, actively participating more in group works, studying harder for tests, wishing to pursue higher educational levels, and feeling less anxious at school than boys. Considering school grades (10th, 11th, 12th), generally students from higher grades present higher academic achievement, being the differences in self-concept dimensions inconsistent. Some of these results corroborate Western and previous Arab researches, while others need additional studies. Further discussions will be presented.