• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.185-200
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate if these factors affect the correlation between the female adolescent interest in appearance and appearance management behavior with self-concept and sexual maturity. To achieve this, a survey was conducted for the female students in elementary and middle school in the Seoul area. The results of this study were as follows. 1. The comparison of students' interest in appearance and appearance management behavior showed that the middle school students showed higher scores in both matters. 2. Elementary students generally held more positive self-concept, with domestic self value shown statistically high 3. Tanner Stage 2.3. the early puberty stage, for elementary school students, and Tanner Stage 3.4. the growth and development stage, for middle school students. The percentage of students who had already entered menstruating turned out to be only 33% for elementary students but 90% for middle school students. Their subjective views of sexual maturity were also different as elementary students had negative feeling when they thought their sexual maturity were maturity were earlier than their peers' while middle school students were just the opposite. 4. The study on the impact of self-concept and sexual maturity on the interest in appearance of female students in elementary and middle school showed that elementary students had a higher interest in appearance that corresponded to the lower domestic self-concept and a higher social self-concept. On the other hand, middle school students showed higher interest in appearance, corresponding to their higher social self-concept, lower domestic self-concept, more negative feeling of sexual maturity, and higher feeling of physical self-concept. The study on the impact of interest in appearance, self-concept, and sexual maturity on the appearance management behavior of elementary and middle school female students revealed that elementary students with a higher interest in appearance were more enthusiastic about appearance management. Middle school students' appearance management behavior turned out to be higher, corresponding to their higher interest in appearance, lower domestic self-concept, and higher social self-concept.