Insecurities At
School
Laura & Emily
Year 9
McCarthy Catholic College
Aim: To determine if appearance affects students
confidence at school.
Hypothesis: Female students will be more affected by
appearance insecurities than male students.
Materials:
59 males students aged 13 to 18
79 female students aged 13 to 18
Method
1.
2.
3.
Students were asked to complete and anonymous
survey containing four questions about their
insecurities related to their appearance.
138 students were selected to complete the survey at
random from a particular house at school.
The results were recorded in a table and analysed.
Questions That Were Asked
1. Are you worried about what people think of your appearance?
a)
Yes
b)
No
2. How long does it take you to get ready in the mornings if you have to see
your peers?
a)
5 to 20 minutes
b)
20 to 40 minutes
c)
40+
3. Is your confidence level lower if your not happy with your appearance?
a)
Yes
b)
No
4. If someone insulted your appearance what would your reaction be?
0
Not at all
1
A little, but
forget quickly
2
A little, but
dwell on it
3
Distressed and
not show it
4
5
Distressed and Extremely
angry
distressed,
and show it
Results
18
1. Are You Worried About What People Think of Your Appearance?
16
14
Number of Respondents
12
10
Yes
8
No
6
4
2
0
Male
Female
13 Years
Male
Female
14 Years
Male
Female
15 Years
Male
Female
16 Years
Male
Female
17 Years
Male
Female
18 Years
2. How long does it take to get ready in the mornings
if you have to see your peers? (Getting changed, hair,
makeup etc.)
Age
(Years)
13
Gender
5-20
mins
Male
12
20-40
mins
40+
mins
14
15
16
17
18
Female
12
Male
15
Female
6
Male
8
Female
7
Male
5
Female
6
Male
6
Female
5
Male
0
Female
0
2
11
0
5
2
6
2
3
1
1
0
0
0
6
0
3
1
4
2
3
1
0
1
0
16
3. Is your confidence level lower if you’re not happy with your
appearance?
14
12
Number of REspondents
10
8
Yes
No
6
4
2
0
Male
Female
13 Years
Male
Female
14 Years
Male
Female
15 Years
Male
Female
16 Years
Male
Female
17 Years
Male
Female
18 Years
4. If someone insulted your appearance how does
it affect you?
Age (Years)
13
14
15
16
17
18
Gender
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
not at all
4
3
4
0
2
1
4
0
4
1
1
0
a little but forget quickly
7
9
6
4
7
6
4
1
3
1
0
0
a little but dwell on it
2
6
3
5
1
3
0
3
0
1
0
0
distressed but not show it
2
10
2
3
1
4
1
4
1
2
0
0
distressed and angry
0
0
0
2
0
3
0
1
0
0
0
0
extremely distressed and show
it
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
0
1
0
0
Discussion
-
-
The results showed that, in general, girls felt more insecure than the
boys. The boys mostly selected no when asked if they were worried
about their appearance. The results also showed that the girls took
more time than the boys to get ready to see their peers. The females
mostly selected yes when asked if their confidence level is lower
when their not happy with their appearance. As aged increased in
the survey respondents so did the level of distress when people
commented negatively about appearance.
Our method of testing was valid as the same survey was given to
each respondent. The quality of the data would have been
improved by including more students in the survey. This would have
also ensured that more students in the 17 and 18 years categories
responded. To ensure the anonymity of the survey we asked a
particular ‘House’ at school to complete the survey in Homeroom.
We did not have direct control over the return of the surveys and
hence not all 17-18 year respondents returned the information.
Conclusion
O These results supported the hypothesis:
Female students will be more affected by
appearance insecurities than male
students.