Promoting Self Confidence among Middle School Students

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• Promoting Self Confidence among Middle School
  Students
• By Dina Durnin, School Counselor
• Hoech Middle School

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Self-Esteem Issues in Middle School

• The importance of self-esteem
• Training your own thoughts
• Striving for perfection
• How to view mistakes
• Goal setting

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The Importance of Self-Esteem

• The importance of self-esteem is a direct
  reflection on ones influence on their lives.
  Self-esteem affects relationships, academic
  achievement, and living life to its fullest.
• The developmental growth stage that pre-teens
  and young teens encounter during Middle School
  are especially challenging when trying to figure
  out who they are and where they fit in.

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Training Your Own Thoughts

• When trying to change low self-esteem students
  should focus on retraining their negative
  thoughts into positive self-talk.
• Steps to use, identify negative self-talk, stop,
  think of a strength, and use positive self-talk.

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Striving for Perfection

• Striving for perfection is impossible in life and
  could be damaging to ones self-esteem. A shift
  in thinking to setting attainable goals and
  reaching them is a healthier way to reach higher
  levels of self-confidence.

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How to view mistakes

• Changing the way a student views mistakes impacts
  their self-esteem, retraining the thought process
  to view mistakes as challenges or opportunities
  to learn, are more effective when attaining
  higher levels of self-esteem.

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Goal Setting

• Setting attainable goals for oneself is
  important when reflecting on successes. Many
  small goal successes lead to larger goal setting
  and belief that you can accomplish them.

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Description of Self-Esteem Groups

• Two Separate Groups Consisted of
• One group of 10 eighth grade female students
• Second group of 8 eighth grade male students
• Settings
• Small group in a classroom
• Once a week for 45-55 minutes
• Six weeks
• Time of day varied within school day

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Interventions Measurements

• Weekly self-esteem lessons/activities
  facilitated by the counselor and school social
  worker.
• Counselor generated pre and post survey

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Measuring Student Change

• Pre and post survey comparison results
• Teacher Observation Feedback
• Parent Conference

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Data ResultsGirls Group Pre-test
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Data ResultsGirls Group Post-test
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Data ResultsBoys Group Pre-test
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Data ResultsBoys Group Post-test
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Data Analysis

• Graphed results from the pre and post tests
  completed by group participants
• Interviews from teachers with direct
  observation/contact of group participants
• Interview from parents/peers with direct
  interactions of group participants

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Summary of Self-Esteem Groups

• According to self reported data by group
  participants students gained
• A better understanding of self-esteem
• A positive outlook on their future and current
  situations
• Knowledge/skills they can use to retrain their
  thought process and setting goals

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Summary of Self-Esteem Groups

• Teacher observations and reports indicate
• Students contributed more to classroom
  discussions
• Students self advocacy increased
• Students made positive decisions in
  classroom/peer interactions

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Summary of Self-Esteem Groups

• Parents reported
• Students gained insight to importance of
  decision-making
• Students understand the importance of goal
  setting
• Students learned how their actions impact their
  self image and how others view them

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Implications for Future

• Understanding that self-esteem in the Middle
  School is a continuous problem and future small
  groups are needed to assist students in
  recognizing their true potential in life.

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Quotes

• Confidence comes from not always being right,
  but learning to be wrong. Peter T. McIntyre
• Each time we face our fear, we gain strength,
  courage, and confidence in the doing. Unknown

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Resources/Contact Information

• How Can I Improve My Self Esteem? Reviewed by
  DArcy Lyness, PhD, March 2009,
  http//kidshealth.org/teen/
• Dina Durnin, School Counselor
• Hoech Middle School
• 3312 Ashby Rd.
• St. Ann, MO 63074
• [phone]
• durnind_at_ritenour.k12.mo.us