Comparative normative study of gender differences in ego identity status of adolescent students in secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria

The current study seeks to investigate the gender differences in ego identity status of adolescents’ students’ in secondary schools in Enugu State. The normative survey design has been adopted for the present study. The population of the adolescents’ students in secondary schools in the SSIII in the six education zones in Enugu State was 2,000. The samples of the study were 800 adolescents’ students randomly selected from one education zone. The sample includes 410 boys and 390 girls. The ego identity scales was constructed by the researcher, and validated by experts. This scale includes four identity status namely, identity achievement, identity moratorium, identity diffusion and identity foreclosure. It consists of 40 items, 10 items in each identity status. It is a four point scale. The findings of the study indicate that the means scores of both boys and girls is very high in identity achievement rather than other statuses such as identity moratorium, identity foreclosure and identity diffusion it further indicates that the overall identity status of girls is higher than the boys. The boys and girls differ significantly only in the identity foreclosure and identity diffusion, they do not differ significantly in other states. The mean score of girls is higher than the boys with respect to identity foreclosure and identity diffusion.