Adolescent egocentrism in a learning context

Abstract

Imaginary audience, personal fable, and over-estimation of responsibilities are typical characteristics of egocentric behaviour during adolescence. The aim of the research was to establish how these egocentric characteristics manifest themselves in a learning context. An empirical investigation was carried out involving 316 learners from Grade 8 to 12. A questionnaire was adapted to measure egocentrism in a learning context. Significant negative correlations were found between academic achievement and egocentrism in a learning context. It is possible that as much as 17% of the variance in academic achievement can be explained by the egocentric behaviour of adolescents. No gender differences could be established. From the results it can be concluded that Grade 12 learners are more inclined to egocentric behaviour in a learning context compared to learners in Grade 8 and 9.