When asked to say "who cares about me the most, " most of the elementary school students from around Taiwan who responded to the poll said "mother, father, grandparents, classmates and siblings, " in that order.

However, on the issue of "who understands me the best, " most respondents cited their mother, grandparents, siblings and father, in that order, according to Chou Yu-ju, a lecturer with Shih Chien University in Taipei City, who conducted the survey in June this year to probe Taiwanese schoolchildren's concept or perception of "self." It indicates that although the children can feel the affection and care shown them by their fathers, there is still a "distance" between the two since the children feel their fathers do not understand them, Chou said.

Chou suggested that fathers spend more time and communicate more with their children in order to narrow the gap.

"It's interesting that 'teachers' were absent from the two groups of people cited by the schoolchildren," Chou noted.

She suggested teachers should show greater care and affection for their students besides simply teaching them.

Chou, who doubles as a researcher with National Central University's Graduate Institute of Learning and Instruction, gauged the development of the schoolchildren's "concept of self" based on their physical and mental condition, academic performance, ethics, and family and social relations.

She said she found that the children who were raised in democratic ways by parents have a higher degree of "self-understanding, " while those who were constantly ignored by parents generally have poor self-understanding.

She suggested that parents raise their children in democratic ways and replace authoritative parental control with respect and communication.

Meanwhile, Chou said Taiwan's education system lacks the ability to help children explore or understand themselves.

"When it comes to 'self-understanding' or 'self-exploration, ' most of Taiwan's young generation remains at a shallow or skin-deep level," Chou said.

She said that when she asked her students at Shih Chien University to describe themselves in an essay of no longer than 300 words, half of the students represented themselves by describing their appearances and things they like or dislike.

"Only a few of them touched on their mental state, inner self or life goals," Chou said.

The poll of schoolchildren aged between 10-12 selected from six areas around the country was based on 811 valid responses.

(By Liu Kwang-yin and Deborah Kuo)