A Study on Self Concept and Emotional Intelligence of Visual Impaired Adolescents in Indian Context

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1 A Study on Self Concept and Emotional Intelligence of Visual Impaired Adolescents in Indian Context Priyanka Dutta Assistant Professor (Education), Kalinagar Mahavidyalaya, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal & Dr. Debasri Banerjee Associate Professor, Department Of Education, University Of Calcutta & Prof. Pranab Kumar Chakrabarti Retd.Professor & Ex-Dean, University Of Calcutta ABSTRACT India has a large number of blind populations. The National Sample Survey carried out in 11 estimated that, there are about 4 million blind populations in the country. It is necessary to explore their self concept and emotional intelligence. Research in this area is scanty and inconclusive and therefore, the children having sensory deprivation have been chosen as the subject of study. It is necessary to find out what they feel about themselves and environments, how do they manage their own emotions and those of others. The objective of the present study is to find out the nature of self concept and emotional intelligence of boys and girls with visual impairment. The sample of the present study was drawn from five schools and the samples were students of VII X, both boys and girls. Children s Self- Concept Scale (CSCS) by Aluwalia (1986) and Emotional Intelligence Scale were administered to the students. In the present study, category wise analyses of data were done by calculating the Mean, Standard Deviation and ANOVA for all the scales and factors of self- concept and emotional intelligence. It is observed that, in the case of self-concept and emotional intelligence, there is noticeable difference due to the status of visual impairment, both boys and girls. Therefore the disadvantaged section of the society should learn to behave responsively towards environment and gradually improve the quality of life. Key Words Visual Impairment, Self-Concept, Emotional Intelligence, Adolescence. 1. INTRODUCTION There is no accurate estimation regarding the magnitude of the blind population in India. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare projected that there are about 12 million blind populations in India.Visual Impairment is a condition in which a person s vision is deficient to such a degree that it significantly affects his schools functioning. The key concepts involved in the present study are Visual Impairment, Self-Concept,Emotional Intelligence and Adolescence. In simple words, Visual Impairment has been defined as the diminishment of the ability to see (Nileson, 02). The terms partially sighted, legally blind, low vision and totally blind are commonly used to describe visual impairments. According to the humanistic and social learning theorists, self is one of the determinants of the personality which contribute to the uniqueness of every human being. The internalized portrait an individual has of oneself is called the self-concept. One s self-concept (also called self construction; self-identity or self-perspective) is a collection of beliefs about oneself that includes elements such as academic performance, gender roles and sexuality and racial identity. On the other hand, Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor one s own, other people s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour. > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 169

2 2. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY As India has a large number of blind populations mostly belonging to the rural areas, a two way social and psychological integration of visually impaired and other people has a major obstacle that lies within the gap of mutual understanding. So, it is necessary to explore their feelings, concepts (self) and emotional intelligence. Research in this area is scanty and inconclusive and therefore, the children having sensory deprivation has been chosen as the subject of study, who constitute a major part within the domain of challenged children. Also, realizing the importance of developing positive self-concept and emotional intelligence among adolescents with visual impairment, the researcher undertook the present study. 3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The main objectives of the present study are as follows: To investigate the nature of self-concept and emotional intelligence of the blind and lowvision adolescents. To find out the relationship among self-concept and emotional intelligence of blind and low-vision adolescents. To find out whether there is any difference between blind and low-vision adolescents in self-concept and emotional intelligence. To test gender difference with respect to self-concept and emotional intelligence in the blind and low-vision. 4. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY The methodology of study comprises of analysis method,hypothesis, population, sample, tool, procedure of data collection and procedure of data analysis. 4.1 METHOD OF ANALYSIS: It is a ex-post facto research. 4.2 HYPOTHESES The following are the brief statement of hypotheses: H01. There is no significant difference in self-concept of boys and girls with visual impairment. H02. There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of boys and girls with visual impairment. H03. There is no significant difference in self-concept between blind and low-vision adolescents. H04. There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence between blind and low-vision adolescents. H05. There is no interaction effect of gender and visual status. 4.3 POPULATION OF THE STUDY: Population of the present study consisted of the students of class VII X in the age group SAMPLE OF THE STUDY: The sample of this study consisted of students of both visually impaired and low-vision adolescents of five separate schools. The target size was proposed to be as follows: SAMPLE MALE FEMALE TOTAL LOW-VISION 41 BLIND 101 TOTAL TOOL Tools for the present study consisted of Children s Self-Concept Scale (CSCS) by Aluwalia (1986) modified for the visually impaired, and Emotional Intelligence Scale > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 1

3 (Bengali) by Molina Saha, 09, derived from Ability Model, developed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer. 4.6 PROCEDURE OF DATA COLLECTION Data was collected from 142 students of class VII X between the period November 14 - April 15. Self-Concept and Emotional Intelligence Scale were administered to the students of the age group of both blind and low-vision boys and girls. They touched the questionnaires of the respective scale and the researcher started questioning them in accordance to the item numbers. 4.7 PROCEDURE OF DATA ANALYSIS: In the present study, Category wise Analysis of Data were done by calculating the Mean and Standard Deviation. The results of ANOVA with graphical representation for all the scales of self-concept and all the factors of emotional intelligence and total score of both self-concept and emotional intelligence are reported separately. 5. RESULT AND INTERPRETATION SELF CONCEPT (SC): Mean, SD and the results of ANOVA for all the subscales of Self-Concept (SC) and total score of the SC are reported separately below: Behaviour: Table No. 1: Mean & SD of Behaviour Table No. 2: Two way ANOVA of Behaviour VI-cat &VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 171

4 Figure 1: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 2 that the effect of degree of visual impairment on Behaviour dimension of self-concept is significant (P<.01). Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure 1) it is evident that, total behaviourcomponent is much more seen in blind boys (5.41) than blind girls (4.08). On the other hand, total behaviourcomponent is much more seen in low vision girls (4.35) than low vision boys (3.48). Intellectual And School Status (ISS): Table 3: Mean& SD of Intellectual And School Status Table No. 4: Two way ANOVA of Intellectual and School Status VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 1

5 Figure 2: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 4 that the effect of degree of visual impairment on Intellectual and School Status (ISS) is not significant. The interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure 2) it is evident that, intellectual and school statuscomponent is much more seen in blind boys(6.29) than blind girls (4.78). On the other hand, Intellectual and school status is seen more inlow vision girls (5.55) than low vision boys (5.38). Anxiety: Table No. 5: Mean & SD of Anxiety Table No. 6: Two way ANOVA of Anxiety: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 173

6 Figure 3: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 6 that the effect of degree of visual impairment and gender on Anxiety dimension of self-concept is significant(p<.01). Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure 3) it is evident that, anxiety component is much more seen in blind boys (6.33)than blind girls(3.98). On the other hand, anxiety component is seen more in low vision boys (4.05) than in lowvision girls (3.95). Popularity: Table No.7: Mean & SD of Popularity Table No.8: Two way ANOVA of Popularity: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 174

7 Figure 4: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 8 that the effect of degree of visual impairment and gender on Popularity dimension of self-concept is significant (P<.01). Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared,(figure 4) it is evident that, popularity component is much more seen in blind boys (6.33) than blind girls (4.68). On the other hand, popularity component is more seen in low vision girls (4.60) than in low vision boys(4.57). Happiness and Satisfaction: Table No. 9: Mean & SD of Happiness & Satisfaction Table No.10: Two way ANOVA of Happiness & Satisfaction: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 175

8 Figure 5: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 10 that the effect of degree of visual impairment on Happiness and Satisfaction dimension of self-concept is significant(p<.01). The interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure 5) it is evident that, happiness and satisfaction component is much more seen in blind boys (6.18) than blind girls (4.68). On the other hand, happiness and satisfaction component is more seen in low vision girls (4.25) than in low vision boys (3.76). Self-Concept: Table No. 11: Mean & SD of Self Concept Table No.12: Two way ANOVA of Self Concept VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 176

9 Figure 6: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 12 that the effect of degree of visual impairment and genderon Self-Concept is significant(p<.01). Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure 6) it is evident that, total self-concept component is much more seen in blind boys (30.55)than blind girls (22.). On the other hand, total self-concept component is seen more in low vision girls(22.) than in low vision boys (.24).Therefore, in matters of total self-concept, there lies a significant difference in self-concept of both boys and girls with blindness and low-vision. And significant difference can be seen in blind and low-vision adolescents in self-concept too. Also interaction effect gender and visual status can be seen. Thus, H01, H03 & H05 are rejected and Alternative Hypotheses are accepted. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Mean, SD and the results of ANOVA with graphical representation are reported below: Table No. 13: Mean & SD of Ability to Perceive Emotion factor of Emotional Intelligence Table No. 14: Two way ANOVA of Ability to Perceive Emotion factor of Emotional Intelligence: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 177

10 Figure 7: Graphical representation of Mean Scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 14 that the effect of degree of visual impairment and gender on Ability to perceive Emotion is significant(p<.01). Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure 7) it is evident that,this factor is much more seen in blind boys (52.96) than blind girls (39.42). On the other hand, it is more seen in low vision girls (38.60) than in low vision boys(36.10). Table No. 15: Mean & SD of Ability to Use Emotion to Facilitate Thought factor of Emotional Intelligence Table No. 16: ANOVA of Ability to Use Emotion to Facilitate Thought factor of Emotional Intelligence: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 178

11 Figure 8: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table 16 that the effect of degree of visual impairment and gender on Ability to use Emotion to Facilitate Thought is significant(p<.01).the interaction effect of visual category and gender is not significant. When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure 8) it is evident that, ability to use emotion to facilitate thought is much more seen in blind boys (.90) than blind girls (47.46). On the other hand, ability to use emotion to facilitate thought is more seen in low vision boys (46.28) than in low vision girls(45.). Table No. 17: Mean & SD of Ability to Understand the Meaning of Emotion factor of Emotional Intelligence Table No.18: ANOVA of Ability to Understand the Meaning of Emotion factor of Emotional Intelligence: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 179

12 Figure 9: Graphical representation of Mean scores Gilrs Interpretation : It appears from Table 18 that the effect of degree of visual impairment and gender on Ability to Understand the Meaning of Emotion(UME) is not significant. Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is not significant. When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure: 9) it is evident that, this is more seen in low vision girls (30.15) than low vision boys (28.62). Again on the other hand, this factor is more seen in blind boys (28.27) than in blind girls(27.66). Table No. 19: Mean &SD of Ability to Manage Emotion factor of Emotional Intelligence Table No. : ANOVA of Ability to Manage Emotion factor of Emotional Intelligence: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 180

13 Figure 10: Graphical representation of Mean scores Interpretation : It appears from Table that the effect of degree of visual impairment and gender on Ability to Manage Emotion is not significant. Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is not significant. When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure: 10)it is evident that, this is more seen in blind boys (30.24) than in blind girls (27.60). Again on the other hand, this factor is more seen in low vision girls (29.40) than in low vision boys(29.10). Table No. : Mean & SD of Emotional Intelligence Table No. 22: ANOVA of Emotional Intelligence: VI-cat & VI-Cat Error > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 181

14 Figure 11: Graphical representation of Emotional Intelligence Interpretation : It appears from Table 22 that the effect of degree of visual impairment and genderon Emotional Intelligence is significant(p<.01). Also the interaction effect of visual category and gender is highly significant (P<.01). When the mean scores of the respective sample subgroup are graphically compared (Figure: 11) it is evident that, total emotional intelligence aspect is much more seen in blindboys (164.16) than in blind girls (149.64). Again on the other hand, total emotional intelligence is more seen in low vision girls (1.05) than in low vision boys(1.00). Therefore, in matters of total Emotional Intelligence, there lies a significant difference in Emotional Intelligence of both boys and girls with blindness and lowvision. And significant difference can be seen in blind and low-vision adolescents in Emotional Intelligence too. Also interaction effect gender and visual status can be seen. Thus,H02, H04 & H05 are rejected and Alternative Hypotheses are accepted. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION SELF-CONCEPT: In the case of Self-Concept and its dimensions (Behaviour, Intellectual and School Status, Anxiety, Popularity, Happiness, and Satisfaction), there is noticeable difference due to the status of visual impairment, that is between blind and low-vision adolescents, both boys and girls. with blindness are noted to have higher self-concept including its dimensions than low-vision boys. Whereas girls with low vision show higher self-concept and its behaviour, intellectual and school status factors than the blind girls. On the other hand, the factors of anxiety, popularity, happiness and satisfaction in blind are higher in comparison to the low-vision adolescents. Therefore it can be concluded that, total selfconcept including its different dimensions are more positive in blind boys and the opposite position in its low-vision girls. Again, from the respective table (Table:11)and graphical representation (Fig. 6), it can be noted that the magnitude of difference in total self-concept for blind and low-vision boys is greater than low the difference in case of blind and low-vision girls. This explains the reason behind significant interaction effects of gender and the level of visual impairment in self-concept. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE In the case of Emotional Intelligence and its various factors (Ability to Perceive Emotion, Ability to Use Emotion to Facilitate Thought, Ability to Understand the Meaning of Emotion, Ability to Manage Emotion), there is also noticeable difference, due to the status of visual impairment, that is between blind and low-vision adolescents, both boys and girls. with blindness are noted to have higher emotional intelligence including its factors than low-vision boys, but they are not very able to understand the meaning of emotion. Whereas girls with low-vision are noted to have higher emotional intelligence than blind girls and they are well capable enough in managing and understanding the meaning of emotion. Besides, blind girls are more capable to perceive others emotions and in using > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 182

15 emotion to facilitate their thought process. Therefore, it can be concluded that, boys with blindness and girls with low-vision are noted to have higher emotional intelligence. Again, from the respective table (Table:) and graphical representation (Fig:11), it can be noted that, highly significant difference is noticed in total emotional intelligence in case of blind and low-vision boys, whereas very low difference is noticed in total emotional intelligence in case of blind and low-vision girls. REFERENCES 1. Al-Zyoudi, M. of Mu tah Univ. (04), Gender differences in self-concept among adolescents with low-vision. Vol. 22 No.1 2. Beaty, 1992; L.A. (1992) Adolescents self-perception as a function of vision loss. Adolescence, 27, Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A. Flanagan, C. A., Miller, C.,Rouman, D.A, & Yee, D. (1989). Selfconcepts, domain values, and self-esteem: Relations and changes at early adolescents. Journal of personality. Vol. 57 Pp Garaigordoboil, M and Bernaras, E (09). Self-Concept, Self-Esteem, Personality Traits and Psychopathological symtoms in subjects with and without visual impairment. Vol 12. No. 1 Pp Garten, A. F and Pratt, C. (02). Relationship between stress and self-concept in young people. Journal of Adolescence. Vol. 8. Issue. 6. Pp Goleman, D. (1996). Emotional Intelligence. Bloomsbury Publishing London. 7. Johnson, C. L. Jr.; Johnson, J. A. (1991). Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness. Vol. 85. No. Pp Kaul, L. (1984). Methodology of Educational Research. New Delhi. Vikas Publishers. Pp Ritchie, Timothy D., Wildschut &Gidron (01). Self and identity, 10, (4), > RJSSM: Volume: 05, Number: 4, August 15 Page 183