Dignity self-development as the result of a shared activity among teenagers

Abstract

The analysis of dignity concepts reveals different approaches of scholars who emphasize the necessity of dignity for person's existence. From the educational science perspective dignity is treated as a result of self-confidence. The dignity education is not a formalized subject at school, because there is no formal structure of knowledge, skills that allow educating the dignity of adolescents by relevant methods. We cannot deny the fact that adolescent's dignity is one of the essential aspects that make precondition and context for development of adolescents' self-respect, self-esteem. The research problem is based on two statements: Dignity education is not a spontaneous process, but the indirect result of formal educational process. Dignity self-development in adolescent group is not an initiative of each teenager, but the result of shared activity (of teenagers). Aim is to analyze the features of dignity self-development and validate their manifestation concerning the external and internal factors in peer groups. Methods: data collection - questioning survey; data analysis - quantitative (descriptive statistics, correlation and factorial analyses); qualitative (qualitative content analysis). Results. The methodological criteria and indicators of dignity self-development in adolescent peer groups have been created and validated. The adolescent peer groups are defined as the context for dignity development, having highlighted the problem of adolescent groups' classification and indicated the 'empty' spaces of these typologies in terms of dignity self-development. Conclusions are connected to the peculiarities of the following research outcomes: The adolescent peer groups were identified that make positive and negative influence on dignity self-development. Two essential groups of dignity self-development are discerned - formal and non-formal education.[...]Edukologijos tyrimų institutasKlaipėdos kolegijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta