Self-evaluation by the Venda adolescent

Abstract

The fact that an understanding of the self determines one's self-esteem and that self-esteem is an important contributor to one's achievements is seemingly undisputed. Self-esteem is not only a product of how others evaluate an individual but also, and most importantly, how an individual evaluates himself or herself. At times people tend to evaluate themselves unrealistically while at other times they evaluate themselves realistically. Unrealistic self-evaluation is mostly a characteristic of adolescence and if this is not managed properly it can have a dire consequence for the adolescent's future.

Adolescence is an important but also a difficult stage in the development of an individual. During this stage profound physical, emotional, psychological and cognitive changes occur. It is a period during which decisions about careerpaths and the demands that such decisions will place on the individual are made. It is therefore during this stage that realistic self-evaluation becomes critical.

This research study was undertaken in order to determine how the Venda-speaking adolescents evaluate themselves and whether such self-evaluation is realistic or not. The research was motivated by an observation that the school drop-out rate is high and that an increasing number of girl learners fall pregnant before completing Grade 12. It is assumed that these tendencies and behaviours are a product of the learners' self-evaluation.

A theoretical background on self-evaluation was then given through a literature review. In the process a link was established between self-evaluation and constructs such as self-concept, self-esteem, self worth, self-identity as well as personality. Different theories used to explain present and expected future behaviour were also discussed. After this review question items were drawn and compiled into questionnaires to be administered to randomly selected learners, teachers and parents. The question items, sixty in number, were categorised into the following dimensions of self-evaluation:

* Physical self * Academic self * Social self * Value self * Family self * Psychological self

Each dimension was covered by ten question items which were tested for validity and reliability. The research study came up with the following findings:

* Parents and teachers agree in their evaluation of adolescents regarding the dimensions mentioned above

* Adolescents rate themselves significantly more favourably than teachers and parents evaluate them.

* Venda-speaking adolescents evaluate themselves unrealistically.

It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of this research will be beneficial to schools, policy-makers and parents. Learning areas such as Life Orientation can be used to help learners evaluate themselves more realistically. Programmes can also be developed to ensure that adolescent self-evaluation is congruent with present behaviour.