Conclusively two positions emerged from the theories:
• That the self-concept of individuals' depends largely on the judgement and evaluations of others. That is, self-concept may be said to rely on external locus of control or the feedback that individuals' receive from others. Thus how the individual sees, perceives, or evaluates him/herself depends on the evaluations of that individual by others.
• That the self-concept of individuals depends largely on what the individual believes or perceives his/her "real self and "ideal self to be. Thus, evaluation is based on internal locus of control or the way in which the individual judges or evaluates him/her "self-image".
These two positions need to be incorporated in the assessment of the self- concept, rather than using either of the positions. In this study, an eclectic position was taken primarily because of the philosophy of self-concept in the
Self-concept of the physically disabled in inclusive secondary schools
CHAPTER TWO THEORETICAL FRAME WORK Nigerian society and the assumption that interaction with the West has influenced the concept of self, which could have instilled strong internal locus of control in the self-concept of individuals'. If self-concept is guided by external locus of control, admittedly, this does some damage to the notion of one's own internal assessment, especially for those who have weak internal locus of control. It has been asserted that disabled and non-disabled persons who based their value on others' judgment developed negative self-concept (Mwamwenda, 1995; &
Donald, Lazarus, & Lolwana, 2002).
According to Ajobiewe (2000); Ojekunle, (1999); and Mba, (1981) societal attitudes towards the disabled in Nigeria are often negative and depreciative.
Ajobiewe stated that the disabled child is seen as someone who has suffered a great misfortune and whose life is consequently disturbed, distorted and damaged forever. This being the case, obviously most disabled persons in Nigeria do not receive what Rogers termed unconditional positive regards from the society. How then do the physically disabled in Nigeria perceive their self- concept, do they develop strong internal locus of control in spite of the negative societal attitudes?
The next chapter presents the areas of literature reviewed for the purpose of this study.
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Self-concept of the physically disabled in inclusive secondary schools CHAPTER THREE LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents literature reviewed in relation to the study. The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the self-concept of physically disabled students in inclusive secondary schools in Lagos state, Nigeria. This review therefore, centres on the following areas:
• Adolescents with physical disabilities
• Self-concept of adolescents with physical disabilities
• Impact of gender on the self concept
• The self-concept and academic achievement
• Impact of the environment on self concept
Although, there are volumes of literature and empirical studies on the self- concept of adolescents generally, there are few empirical studies on the self- concept of physically disabled adolescents particularly in inclusive secondary schools especially in Nigeria. Hagiliassis and Gulbenkoglu (2002) argued that a small number of studies have examined the self-concept of individuals with physical and multiple disabilities. The implication of this is that majority of empirical studies reviewed are relatively old, were not conducted in inclusive schools, not on adolescents and were conducted in different societies with different cultures and variety of approaches. However, the results of these studies revealed different findings within a society and across societies. In other words, results were conflicting even within a society. The possible reasons for the differences according to Burns (1982) are:
• Sample variations, in terms of disability types, the age of onset of the disability, the severity of the disability and the physical appearance of the disabled.
Self-concept of the physically disabled in inclusive secondary schools
CHAPTER THREE LITERATURE REVIEW
• Neglect to control a range of variables of potential influence, such as age and gender.
• Use of non-disabled control groups. It may be meaningless to compare the life experiences of people with disabilities with those of non-disabled peers, as the life experiences of the two groups are different by virtue of the presence of disabilities.
• The definitions and cultural perceptions of self-concept.
• The type of instrument used and aspects measured.
The fact however, remains that self-concept is a personal construct that could be elaborated and described in different ways, either in the physical, social, personal or academic self. The self-concept could also be measured in different ways, which Olowu (1990) classified into four broad ways - observation, projective, graphic and self-report methods. The dimensions of measure remain controversial, while some advocate distinctions between different dimensions of the self-concept, such as "physical-self," "personal-self," "social-self," and
"academic-self, others advocate the distinctions between the self as "public" and the self as "private." The implication is the emergence of differences in the instruments, results and interpretations of the results of the studies. Those who viewed academic self-concept as distinctly different from non-academic self- concept would definitely not look for any possible relationship in their studies and would not construct the instrument to reflect any relationship.
Also if self concept is perceived in terms of public self, the instrument would only reflect perceptions that individuals hold of themselves, based on the judgment of others. For example, in most societies, physical appearance and motor skills are highly valued and are important factors in determining the popularity of children.
m
Self-concept of the physically disabled in inclusive secondary schools
CHAPTER THREE LITERATURE REVIEW Viewing these children in terms of "private or public self would entail the use of different instruments and different results. Children with physical disabilities, who are viewed in terms of the "public self, may develop low self-concept whereas if they were perceived in terms of the "private self, they may display a high level of self-concept.
Nonetheless, findings generally suggest that the level of self-concept varies in periods of vulnerability, such as adolescence, and that there are different dimensions of the self-concept which significantly affect individuals' total self- concept negatively or positively, depending on the perceptions that individuals hold of them, in relation to their environment. Gordon (1975) concluded that the more internal the adolescent could accurately respond to the environment the better, since the crisis of adolescence has to do with the balancing of external to internal orientation. The adolescent must evolve a self-conception that includes as much as possible his/her real self, abilities, capabilities and inclinations.
Olowu (1990) concludes that there is nothing worthy of study than the "self most people spends some important moments in their lives wondering about whom they are, how others viewed them and how they feel about themselves.