Relationship between self-supporting behaviors and self-concept among primary school students in China

Our aim in this study was to explore the relationship between self-supporting behaviors and self-concept among primary school students in China. Participants were 193 primary school students in grades 5 and 6 who completed the Self-supporting Behaviors Questionnaire for Children Aged 6-12 (SBQ 6-12) and the Tennessee Self-concept Scale (TSCS).We divided the responses into two groups of a high self-supporting group, consisting of the highest 27% of the SBQ 6-12 total scores, and a low self-supporting group consisting of the lowest 27% of the total scores. The high self-supporting group got significantly higher scores than did the low self-supporting group in all subscales of the TSCS. All scores for subscales of the TSCS were significantly and positively correlated with scores for all dimensions of the SBQ 6-12. Thus, the children’s self-supporting behaviors were closely related to their self-concept. The higher the level of self-supporting behavior, the more positive was the child’s self-concept.