However, the same intentions could be satisfied in other ways. Such a project was observed in a rural British infant school. The display space was taken up with bar graphs of the children's weights and heights, eye colors, shoe sizes, and so forth. As the children worked in small groups collecting information brought from home, taking measurements, and preparing graphs together, the teacher was able to create an ethos of a community of researchers. On the other hand, they assert that in Asia and Africa the self is viewed as interdependent and connected with the social context.
Westerners view the self as an autonomous entity consisting of a unique configuration of traits.
The Asian view is that the self exists primarily in relation to specific social contexts, and is esteemed to the extent that it can adjust to others and maintain harmony. However, the current practices described above may be overcorrections of such traditions. Self-esteem is most likely to be fostered when children are esteemed and treated respectfully and receive the right kind of positive, meaningful feedback in the form of appreciation, rather than empty praise and flattery. Appreciation is positive feedback related explicitly and directly to the content of the child's interest and effort. A teacher might, for example, bring a new reference book to class in response to a question raised by a child.