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“It ’s Good To Be Me”

A New Self-Esteem Curriculum for Key Stage 2.

Lucy Elizabeth Roberts

Project Research DE0929

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ContentsChapter One

-Objective-Introduction

-Methodology

Chapter Two

-Background Research The Dove Campaign For Real Beauty

My Body Beautiful PSHE SEAL

Chapter Three

-Proposal-Market Research

Chapter Four

-The Media-Research Findings

Chapter Five

-It’s Good To Be Me-Objective Analysis

Chapter Six

-Conclusion of Research-Project Expansion

References and Bibliography

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The eventual aim of this project is to provide primary schools with the opportunity to deliver a programme based

specifically on self-esteem to help young people accept themselves for the way that they are without letting the

media, the beauty industry or popular culture affect the way they see themselves.

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This research project aims to produce a new self-esteem programme designed to specifically aid the development

of young girls but all content will be appropriate for boys. The programme will be offered as part of the PSHE

(personal, social, and health education) syllabus in primary schools, and will be linked very closely with the SEAL

(social and emotional aspects of learning) programme which is currently not compulsory but is delivered in 90% of primary schools. This research will investigate the external factors which can affect a young person’s self esteem in a potentially negative way, and identify a way in which these

factors can be overcome.

Chapter OneIn

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This study will consist of both primary and secondary research in order to produce a well rounded body of evidence, statistics and

market research.

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•Primary research will be conducted in primary schools by using a questionnaire designed for 8-10 year old girls featuring

open questions in order to receive varied responses. In addition, focus groups, consisting of teachers and young adults, will give feedback on an adult’s opinion of children and self-esteem. The

most significant research will be one-to-one interviews with young adults, who have battled with self-esteem issues and who

will be able to verify whether or not there is a need for a self-esteem programme to be introduced into schools. Teachers will also be consulted to to give an opinion as to optimum delivery

methods of a programme based on self-esteem.

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•Secondary research will include the exploration of previous articles, studies and statistics of contentious self-esteem issues and their impact on children and young adults. It will also look at material published on childhood development, psychology and teaching methods as these are the three main relevant

areas of research. In addition, secondary research will examine the media, popular culture such as music, particularly lyrics and dance, as well as television shows and the censoring of explicit

content.

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Chapter TwoBac

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The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

Although there is already considerable previous research and studies around the subject of a child’s self-

esteem, the outstanding campaign which is currently tackling the issue is the Dove Campaign For Real

Beauty. The Campaign was founded in 2004 by the brand Dove, and began as an advertising campaign based around natural beauty and caring for your skin

and self. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the fact that many adverts in the media market have been edited in post-production enhancement and therefore are essentially an unrealistic representation of beauty.

The Campaign For Real Beauty released their own adverts into the market, featuring “real” women of all

shapes, ages and sizes.

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Dove as a brand are passionate about delivering a face beauty which women can relate to - this premise forms

the foundation of their campaign. However, the campaign operates only in America and online through

http://www.dove.co.uk/campaign-for-real-beauty.html where there are a number of articles, studies and statistics available. The website also features a “girls only” section for teenagers which is designed to tackle any “body hang ups”

girls may have.

The Campaign states its aims as follows:

“At Dove, we want to help free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes. It ’s this message that ’s at the heart of our Campaign for Real Beauty and Self-

Esteem Fund, and it ’s why we continue to create thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty. We’ve reached over 5 million lives worldwide through the Dove Self-Esteem Fund

so far. You can help us to reach more .”

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My Body Beautiful

My Body Beautiful is an independent company within the UK which offers workshops to schools or homes about self-esteem and how

to overcome body issues.

“My Body Beautiful believes that when you begin to realize the extraordinary value and uniqueness of your body, this knowledge

will:- foster a deeper respect and appreciation for it and

- inspire you to take the best possible care of it.”

My Body Beautiful is not a government funded company, nor is it a part of any school curriculum. The company charges £225 plus VAT and travel expenses for a half day workshop at a school or £450 plus the same expenses for a full day. The workshops are only available

to children between the ages of 11 and 16 (Key Stages 3 and 4). This means that children of Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11) are unable to benefit

from or participate in My Body Beautiful.

My Body Beautiful has also designed workshops specifically for parents and their children and will come to homes or mutual

locations to deliver the aforementioned workshops.

www.mybodybeautiful.co.uk does not feature any online workshops or activities for children or teens. This research will look at the elements of these workshops from My Body Beautiful as they

have been developed specifically for self-esteem and body image. Proposals will be offered about the ways in which the material

could be adapted to make it suitable for use with Key Stage 2 (KS2) children.

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PSHE

Personal, Social and Health Education is a compulsory curriculum area across all key stages of school. The Key Stage 2 (KS2) suggested

programme (which is for children between the ages of seven and eleven) currently contains subject matters such as developing a child’s confidence, making children aware of ethical and cultural differences, healthy lifestyles

and emotional understanding.

KS2 PSHE encompasses four main strands to aid a child’s development:

•Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities

•Preparing to play an active role as citizens •Developing a healthy, safer lifestyle

•Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people.

As part of the first heading above, children should be taught:

“to recognise their worth as individuals by indentifying positive things about themselves and their achievements, seeing their

mistakes, making amends and setting personal goals”.

In the PSHE curriculum for KS2, this is the most direct reference to the topic of self-esteem.

“The aims of the PSHE curriculum are revisited many times throughout a child’s years in Primary School . Self-esteem is developed through encouragement to achieve one’s best and

recognition of progress along the path to that goal .”

– Angela Roberts, Primary School Teaching Assistant

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SEAL

Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning is a non-compulsory school curriculum which is currently implemented in 90% of primary schools and

70% of secondary schools in the UK according to National Strategies. SEAL is:

“…A comprehensive, whole-school approach to promoting the social and emotional skills which underpin effective learning, positive behaviour, regular attendance, staff effectiveness and the emotional health and well-being of all who learning and

work in schools.” – DCSF, 2007, pg 4

SEAL has seven units:•New beginnings

•Getting on and falling out•Say NO to bullying

•Going for goals•Good to be me•Relationships

•Changes.

Self-esteem is covered mainly within the “Good To Be Me” section, and emphasises that every child is different and unique in his or her own way. The overall aim of SEAL is to help children develop the “social, emotional and behavioural skills they need in order to succeed” (DfES 2005) and by making a child aware of self-esteem, SEAL can help to build it. Referring

to the primary research of this project’s appendix, an interview with a teaching assistant reveals that during the SEAL curriculum, “children are

encouraged to think about why they say or do certain things and begin to understand their own behaviour.” This aiding of a child’s understanding of their own development is designed to build their self-esteem through self

understanding and acceptance.

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The aim of this research document is to examine and investigate the external factors which can affect self-esteem

with an eventual outcome of developing a government funded optional programme to be carried out in primary

schools as part of Key Stage 2 education across the UK. The suggested programme will be called “It’s Good To Be Me” following the self-esteem unit of the SEAL curriculum, and

will focus on building a child’s self esteem as well as making young girls aware of the beauty industry and media, and

how misrepresentation of imagery means that the images and women they aspire to in magazines may not look that

way without the post production enhancement.

The programme will offer realistic and inspirational role models for young girls, such as Margaret Thatcher, Paula Radcliffe and Michelle Obama. Primary research carried out in the format of a questionnaire for eight to ten year

old girls showed that out of the thirteen responses, six (the majority) would most like to be Rihanna, and very few of the

participants knew who Paula Radcliffe is.

Chapter ThreePro

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Statistics available online show that:

• 71% of girls with low self-esteem feel their appearance does not measure up, including not feeling pretty enough, thin enough or stylish or trendy enough

• 78% of girls with low self-esteem admit that it is hard to feel good in school when you do not feel good about

how you look• A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she

views her own body shape and bodyweight, than how much she actually weighs.

-Statistics taken from http://content.dove.us/makeadiff/pdf/SelfEsteem_Report.pdf

•43% of 6 to 9 year olds are already using lipstick or lip gloss

•38% are using hairstyling products•12% use other cosmetic products

-Statistics taken from market research firm Experian

This indicates that children as young as six have come into contact with cosmetics and body image at a

premature age.

Journalists worldwide were alerted to the extreme consequences of low self-esteem after the death of the model Isabelle Caro in 2010. She suffered from severe

anorexia for most of her life which she said was a result of a “troubled childhood.” Isabelle’s death has since sparked concerns about the pressure of the fashion industry and the effect it may have on young girls.

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The media is becoming increasingly viral - via television, internet sites, print and radio, it reaches every age group. Young people are exposed to the same content as adults.

The Music Industry

Rihanna’s female fans are aged anywhere from the age of ten to forty. Her lyrics are often accompanied by an “explicit content” warning. But should it be Rihanna’s responsibility

to censor her lyrics? Primary research in the form of a questionnaire conducted amongst eight to ten year old

girls showed that 46% of the responses idolised Rihanna. She is quoted as saying in a recent feature with Vogue UK (December 2011) that when she set out to be a singer she

did it because she wanted to sing and perform, not because she wanted to be a role model. Nicki Minaj’s song Super Bass has recently been covered on YouTube by Sophia

Grace, a four year old girl, and with over 19,355,052 hits to date, the problem is hard to see. But if you look, and listen closer, this child is singing lyrics such as “he cold, he dope, he might sell dope” and “then the panties comin’ off”. The

images from these lyrics is highly inappropriate for a child to listen to and even repeat, whether or not he or she may be

too young to understand them.

Could such a practice inadvertently expose children to a lifestyle which they should have no knowledge of?

Chapter FourThe

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The Beauty Industry

The beauty industry holds significant power over the nation’s population as one of the most influential

industries. A constant supply of beauty adverts in print, online and on television are distributed to the

world’s population and regularly contain the small print “this image has been enhanced in post production.” Magazines and cosmetic companies are now using

Photoshop in their post production enhancement to the extent where many mascara and hair adverts are now

required to admit that lashes and extensions have been manipulated during this process so as not to mislead

their customers.

However, it is clear that there is still a degree of uncertainty for young people surrounding the

images thrown at them by the media. A video on the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty website shows a workshop discussing the beauty industry and the

Photoshopping of models and celebrities, and it is clear that the majority of the girls attending the workshop did not actually realise that the image before them

was fake. Videos released online such as “Evolution” a commercial also by Dove, shows the process of

creating an advert, from makeup, to hair, to post photo editing, to the final finished product where the model looks nothing like herself. Commercials like this have

been developed to help a young person’s self-esteem, and show that the images they aspire to are unrealistic

for everyone, not just the individual.

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Primary Research

Primary research for this project was conducted using a variety of methods:

•Interviews•Focus Groups

•Questionnaires delivered into primary schools•Online Surveys

One interview was with a primary school teacher and discussed the PSHE and SEAL curricula and how they address the matter of self-

esteem. It became apparent that SEAL is the programme which addresses self-esteem in the unit “Good To Be Me” and focuses on

teaching a child that they are all individual and different in their ways, however it also aims to teach them that this is what makes them

“individuals”. This interviewee also said that one of the things that can be damaging to a child’s self-esteem is when adults, both parents and

teachers, miss the opportunity to praise a child.

The second interview was with a 22 year old female who has suffered and is still suffering with self-esteem issues. She states that she can

trace her body image problems back to her parent’s divorce when she was 13 years old. Since then, she has battled with mild anorexia and

continual low self-esteem. When asked about her school experience, the interviewee says she cannot remember having a PSHE lesson or session

which addressed self-esteem or body image, despite the fact she attended a competitive, all girls private school where she felt pressure

both on her academic performance and on her appearance.

After the above interview, it became apparent that even if a programme was developed to help just one girl overcome low self-esteem it could

still be considered a success.

Focus groups conducted with a group of young adults, one of whom is a primary school teacher concluded that none of the participants

could see a negative point of view to a self esteem programme being proposed. The programme proposal of “It’s Good To Be Me” was read by all participants and they all agreed that they could have each benefitted

from such a programme in their own education.

Surveys and questionnaires were the most revealing form of primary research and were essential to the research which followed. An online

survey where 89.3% of the participants were between 18 and 24 showed that:R

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•71.4% think that beauty is natural•67.9% think that confidence is the key to beauty

•However, 35.7% think that being beautiful is to be thin

When asked about their own self-esteem, 50% reported that their self-esteem is “average”, 25% said “high” and 11% said “low”.

A second online survey examined school environments, and asked participants about pressure they felt at school, either academically or

with regards to their appearance. The final question produced the most unanimous reponse, which was that the majority (92.9%) thought that

schools should implement a programme based on self-esteem.

Questionnaires conducted in schools with eight to ten year old females was also very insightful and helped to build a more solid foundation for the

research of a self-esteem programme. One child stated that she thought Michelle Obama is “boring” whereas others didn’t know who she was.

Another stated that Paula Radcliffe “isn’t that special” and one said “who?” Six out of the thirteen responses (the majority) idolised Rihanna when given a

choice of role models, two looked up to Michelle Obama and Princess Diana and one held Margaret Thatcher in high regard as the first female Prime

Minister. These responses helped to shape the programme being developed by this research as it became quite clear that the participants of this survey

had little or no knowledge of strong women to look up to outside of their family.

Rihanna is a 21 year old who has stated herself that she has little interest in being a role model, the programme “It’s Good To Be Me” will therefore

contain a unit based on responsible role models that children can look up to. These questionnaires also showed that only two of the aged eight to ten

girls had not worn make up before. The makeup they have used included lip gloss, blusher, powder, nail varnish, lipstick, eye shadow and mascara.

Secondary Research

Secondary research was just as necessary as primary research for this project. Previously published prints such as books and studies and statistics

were all integral to the development of this research. Books written about psychology, mind, social development and behaviour were all essential as they all contained sections regarding the self-esteem of children and adults

and the factors which can impact on it.

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The programme designed by this research will be called “It’s Good To Be Me” and will be offered to primary schools as a selection of lesson plans for Key Stage 2. The name of the programme is

taken from the self-esteem module in the existing SEAL curriculum. This programme will be advertised as an additional section of the SEAL curriculum which goes into deeper detail about the causes

and effects of self-esteem. As children are maturing faster and girls worldwide are being entered into beauty pageants from birth

onwards, there is an increasing pressure on everyone to look good. This means that previous syllabuses have not explored

self-esteem as widely in KS1 and KS2 curriculums, however now, it is appropriate to do so. While “It’s Good To Be Me” will not be enforced as a compulsory curriculum, it will contain a variety of elements taken from existing programs as well as new methods

developed from previous published research. “It’s Good To Be Me” will be marketed and promoted as an optional curriculum from

which teachers can take as many or as few elements and ideas as they wish, potentially to add to their existing PSHE or SEAL lessons.

The curriculum will include:

•Activities for raising self-esteem as individuals as well as team building skills

•Information about the media and beauty industry•Role Models

•Family relationships•Helping a child to understand his/her emotional

development and recognising their feelings and attitudes.

The concept of offering “It’s Good To Be Me” to schools and making the content available online, is that schools and parents alike can take from it as much or as little as they want, so the content can

be delivered in schools in a lesson format or parents can discuss individual elements at home with their child.

Chapter FiveIt

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One of the focal points of this research was to discover the optimum method of delivering a new curriculum. Using primary

research from a focus group of adults, including teachers, it became apparent that, for a new programme based on the issue of self-esteem, the best way of delivering this to as many children as possible would be through presenting schools with a series of recommended lesson plans. From these lesson plans, teachers can select the elements they feel would benefit their class the

most.

This way, teachers can adapt the recommended plans and add their own elements which they feel would apply to their class

of children, for example, including practical and interactive activities, showing media such as videos, or holding discussions

around related topics.

By making the same content available for download online in a PDF format, parents who have children at schools who

choose not to implement the programme can have the option of discussing the same issues with their children in the comfort of

their own homes with their own judgement.

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The learning styles of children fall into three categories:

-Visual-Kinesthetic

-Audio

These are the three ways in which a child learns best, so “It’s Good To Be Me” must encompass all these learning methods. Visual learning will be watching short films and videos, including media taken from the Dove Campaign website which are highly informative about the beauty

industry and are age appropriate. Kinesthetic learning is a hands-on method, where children can participate in

activities within groups to complete tasks relevant to the lesson. Finally, audio learning would be when a teacher

leads a class discussion and relates information.

The lesson plans of “It’s Good To Be Me” will include a variety of these teaching methods, giving primary

schools to option to select the elements which they feel would work best for their class therefore ensuring an

optimum delivery.

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This research has been supported by previously published work, including print about the subject of

psychology, previous studies by the Dove Campaign, as well as national curriculums which are already

implemented in schools. The purpose of this research is to combine a number of elements from existing current curricula, as well as developing new concepts using the

work of published authors.

For example, a study by Bukowski, Hoza and Newcomb 1991 reads: “data from ten year olds across a one year interval shows that friendship experiences do enhance

self-esteem. Having close friendship relations thus shows that school transitions are made easier.” This research

highlights the importance of relationships formed in schools, and thus shows that in order to increase a

child’s self-esteem, encouraging relationships amongst their peers is essential. This research from 1991 was

strengthened in 1992 by the study of Berntd and Keefe which focussed “on positive and negative friendships

and their correlations between school adjustments and self-esteem. Students with supportive, intimate friendship relations were more involved with school activities, and

students with troublesome, rivalled, conflicted friendships became increasingly disturbed and troublesome.”

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Previous studies such as these are essential in the research of a new programme about self-esteem, as they

give guidance on the areas which are vital to building the confidence of a child, such as friendship making and

giving compliments to reinforce positive behaviour. As well as advising on the elements which can build a child’s

self-esteem, they also give warnings to the areas which can be potentially damaging to a child’s confidence

which can in turn cause a child to act out of sorts either aggressively or fall into a depression.

Low self-esteem can have many worrying outcomes, including drug and substance abuse, mental health problems, violence towards an individual or a group as well as eating disorders. The objective aim of this

research is to prevent these outcomes from becoming eventualities by developing an educational programme

which will gently aid a child’s self-esteem and psychological development.

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To conclude this research, it can be summarised that there is indeed a place in the market for the concept of a new

self-esteem programme as it is a new ideal which has not been implemented before. While there are currently national

curricula which recognise the issue of self-esteem and address it briefly, the detail they go into is not sufficient to fully confront the current problem of ever decreasing self-esteem amongst

young people.

“It’s Good To Be Me” will contain various units to encourage a child’s self-esteem to grow with knowledge and understanding

of their emotional and physical development whilst simultaneously providing support for them every step of the way. The programme must cover all aspects of self-esteem, including its consequences which must be addressed in a

sensitive way.

Referring to primary research interviews, it is apparent that there is a concern about alarming young people in school by

discussing the possible consequences of low self-esteem. The “It’s Good To Be Me” programme will be aware of such concerns. The programme will be presented as an optional curriculum to all primary schools at a Key Stage 2 level, at which stage teachers can select the elements they feel are

relevant to their students. The final lesson plans developed by the programme will be available as free content to download

online for the use of parents.

Chapter SixCon

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The future of “It’s Good To Be Me” does not have to be limited to primary schools. Low self-esteem can occur at any stage of life,

and it is important to recognise and address this fact.

“It’s Good To Be Me” will eventually aim to develop beyond primary schools, and be part of a global campaign to combat

low self-esteem and help women of all ages recognise the basic philosophy stated in the SEAL curriculum: that it is good

to be me. The expansion of this programme will take more inspiration from the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty and will involve hosting workshops around the country for women of all ages, as well as providing anonymous weekly sessions for

young adults who may be living away from home at university.

“It’s Good To Be Me” is essentially a programme which aims to help the development of children using primary school teaching

as a delivery method, however, it retains the option to expand with success.

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Gross, R 2010. Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour. Sixth edition.

Craig, W 2000. Childhood social development. The essential readings.

http://content.dove.us/makeadiff/pdf/SelfEsteem_Report.pdf

www.mybodybeautiful.co.uk, accessed 16th December, at 15.34

SEAL curriculum

UK Vogue, December 2011

www.any-body.org.uk, accessed November 14th at 13.55

http://www.dove.co.uk/cfrb/articles.html , accessed October 23rd at 16.33, and continually throughout project research

http://edge.dove.com/US_en/10229/global/download/DOVE_white_paper_final.pdf, accessed October 23rd at 17.22

http://www.demos.co.uk/projects/throughthelookingglass, accessed 28th October 2011 at 13.46

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and 2/subjects/personal_social_and_health_education/keystage2/index.aspx,

accessed 6th November at 17.14

http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2777978.pdf?acceptTC=true , accessed 23rd October at 17.43

http://www.demos.co.uk/projects/throughthelookingglass, accessed 28th October at 13.46

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1348830/Guilty-mother-dead-anorexic-model-Isabelle-Caro-commits-suicide.html

accessed January 2nd, 17.22

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12091475 accessed January 2nd, 17.23

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Gross, R 2010. Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour. Sixth edition.

Craig, W 2000. Childhood social development. The essential readings.

Rae, T 2005. Confidence, Assertiveness, Self-Esteem.

Rae, T 2006. Good Choices: Teaching Young People Aged 8-11 to Make Positive Decisions about Their Own Lives

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http://www.1010.asheboromagazine.com/wp-content/up-loads/2011/04/pictures-school-children-boys-girls-sunlight.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cCRWcGSS3zk/S4cTGA4OzFI/AAAAAAAAAC8/FOhwHFeov1M/j0439416.jpg

http://portclintonlionsclub.org/images/mirror_cat.jpeg

http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/1152x864/2009/People_Children_Happy_Children___Children_012775_.jpg

http://www.beutifulmagazine.com/wp-content/up-loads/2010/07/dove-campaign-for-real-beauty1.jpg

http://centrepad.org.uk/becoming-a-teaching-assistant/

http://www.readinghorizons.com/blog/image.axd?picture=2010%2F8%2Fclassroom.JPG

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5dAZ1IXkkgw/TnXxThWTBkI/AAAAAAAABzs/5YH_8-sxeRs/s1600/Rihanna-Wallpa-

pers-2011-.jpg

http://media.onsugar.com/files/2010/06/22/6/258/2589280/9d7918f547ec53e5_cheryl.jpg

http://www.stannesprimary.org/PSHE%20group%20work%20001.jpg

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