1. Insecurities At School Laura & Emily Year 9 McCarthy Catholic College

2. 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

3. Method 1. Students were asked to complete and anonymous survey containing four questions about their insecurities related to their appearance. 2. 138 students were selected to complete the survey at random from a particular house at school. 3. The results were recorded in a table and analysed.

4. 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?

5. Results

6. 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) 131415161718 GenderMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale 5-20 mins 12 15687566500 20-40 mins 2110526231100 40+ mins 060314231010

8. 4. If someone insulted your appearance how does it affect you? Age (Years)131415161718 GenderMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale not at all434021404110 a little but forget quickly796476413100 a little but dwell on it263513030100 distressed but not show it2102314141200 distressed and angry000203010000 extremely distressed and show it 000100030100

9. 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.

10. Conclusion O These results supported the hypothesis: Female students will be more affected by appearance insecurities than male students.