Self-assessment of the child’s self-identity is a very important aspect in the event of his having behavioral or psychological problems. Therefore, there are many techniques aimed at identifying them.
Purpose of application
In fact, there are a lot of methods for evaluating a child’s self. Today, "Tree", "What I am", "Ladder", "Questionnaire" are often used. It is very important that the child understands and evaluates himself correctly: you need to correctly form a picture of yourself and others. The most popular technique is “Ladder”, because it is clear and understandable. And the interviewer can easily explain to the children what is required of them. "Ladder" is equally relevant for a wide range of ages.
Description and procedure of the "Ladder" methodology
To assess the selected group of children (schoolchildren, especially preschoolers), it is recommended to prepare sheets with a ladder of 7 steps for each child. This material will come in handy during an individual conversation.
The children are explained the rules with a demonstration: on the ladder there are children according to a certain rule:
- on the middle step (4th from the bottom) - not bad and not good guys;
- a step higher (on the 5th from the bottom) - good children;
- even higher (on the 6th) - very good;
- on the top (on the 7th) - the best.
And in the opposite direction: on the step below the average (3rd) - there are bad children, even lower (on the 2nd) - very bad, and on the bottom step (1st) - the worst children.
Having explained the mechanism, a conversation is held with the children from the focus group. The main question of self-esteem is: "Where do you put yourself on what level?"
Thus, a variety of questions allow us to give a broader description of the child’s self-perception.
Instead of “good”, any word that characterizes a person can be used: smart, strong, courageous, honest, stupid, cowardly, evil, lazy and so on.
In addition to self-esteem, one may ask: “What would you like to be? Where will your parents put you? Where will your teachers put you?” Etc.
Interpretation of the results
The most important point of this study is the decision of the child to put himself on a certain step. The norm is when the baby puts himself on the upper steps (optimally “very good”, less often with meditation “the best”). If the lower steps are chosen (the lower the worse), then this indicates an inadequate perception of oneself, as well as a poor attitude to oneself, self-doubt.
This deviation can lead to neurosis and depression at such a young age. The reasons that can become prerequisites for the formation of this negative result, as a rule, are related to education, when authoritarianism, severity, coldness or detachment prevail. In such families, in addition to the will of the parents, it seems that the child is valued only for good behavior. In addition, children cannot constantly behave well, and each conflict situation leads to self-doubt, the parents' love for themselves.
A similar situation occurs in families where parents spend little time with children: neglect of communication with the child leads to similar results.
The problem areas in the family are easily determined by questions about where the child will be placed by parents, teachers or educators. For a comfortable perception of yourself, reinforced by a sense of security and care, it is important that someone from close relatives put the child on the top step. Ideally, if it's a mom.
Methodology and assessment for different age groups
Depending on the age of the focus group, there are minor changes in the test. As a rule, this concerns the explanation and implementation, the “Ladder” methodology for schoolchildren can be expanded and supplemented, and for kindergarten groups it can become more visual.
This is not an absolute rule, because the psychologists conducting the tests adapt the questions for themselves.
The "Ladder" technique for preschoolers implies a thorough preliminary explanation. For greater clarity, kids can take the doll and put it in their place in their place.
The "Ladder" technique for younger students does not imply the availability of additional toys. On the proposed forms, you can draw a figure that means a child, that is, himself.
The subtleties of conducting
Depending on the children studied, the list of characteristics can be expanded or shortened.
When talking with a child, one should pay attention to his reaction: how quickly he gives an answer, whether he gives arguments or hesitates. Explanations regarding the alignment must be present. If they are not there, clarifying questions are asked: “Why is this place exactly?”, “Are you always here?”
According to the results, we can say what type of self-esteem is inherent in the child:
1) Inadequately high / low self-esteem.
Overpriced: the baby puts himself on the top step without analysis. For additional questions, explains that his mother appreciates him and so "said."
Underestimated: the baby indicates the lower steps, which indicates a deviation in development.
2) Adequate self-esteem is considered when a child considers himself to be “very good” children or with hesitation and argumentation as “the best”.
3) In the case when the child puts himself on the middle stage, this may indicate that he did not understand the task, or he is not sure of the correct answer and prefers not to take risks, answering “I don’t know” to the questions.
If we talk about the distribution of results by age groups, then an overestimated self-esteem is typical for preschoolers, but younger students are more realistic in assessing themselves. And what is typical for both groups: in familiar situations, children evaluate themselves adequately, but in unfamiliar situations they tend to overestimate their abilities.