ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how to test the hypothesis that a session of summer camp will increase the self-esteem of economically disadvantaged school-age children from New York's inner-city neighborhoods. The sample includes 68 American children, ages 6–12 years. The chapter discusses t-Test comparisons of Pre- and Posttest Performance on Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept and Cluster Scales. As a measure of self-esteem, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale an 80-item self-report questionnaire, was administered as a pretest and posttest. Total scores for self-esteem range from 0 to 80, with higher scores reflecting more positive self-evaluations. The scale taps six dimensions of self-esteem: popularity, physical appearance and attributes, intellectual and school status, happiness and satisfaction, behavior (admission of problem behaviors), and anxiety. On behavior and anxiety scales, higher scores indicate perception of fewer problems or less anxiety. Size of treatment effect was based on Cohen's d for the overall score and for the popularity cluster scale.
