Cross-Cultural Study of the Characteristics of Students' Self-Concept

Abstract

Personal Self-concept can be viewed as an antecedent of ones’ educational and career achievements. It is a complex multidimensional construct. This study examines aspects of academic self-esteem: mathematical and verbal. An important factor influencing the formation of self-esteem is the environment – cultural values and economic development of the country. Previous empirical studies have shown differences in overall self-esteem among individuals from individualistic and collectivistic cultures. We decided to investigate self-esteem in more details and consider the differences and similarities in self-esteem by two factors "Mathematical self-esteem" and "Verbal self-esteem" of students from Russia and Kyrgyzstan. These countries share a common historical background and a similar educational system, but differ at the cultural level. This pilot study was conducted among students from Russia and Kyrgyzstan, using the questionnaire "Self Description Questionnaire". The research sample included 510 undergraduate students aged 18 to 27 years (60% – Russia, 40% – Kyrgyzstan). Statistical analysis of the data was performed using Cohen's d to determine the effect size for significant differences between the means. The results of the study indicate a higher level of mathematical self-concept among students from Russia, which can be explained by differences in cultural dimensions – individualism and collectivism. At the same time, no significant differences in verbal self-esteem were found. This is due to its complexity. So, the communicative aspect of verbal self-esteem is more pronounced in the Eastern culture, and the speech aspect – in the Western one.