This study tested the effects of two distinct methods of instruction on the self-concept and English/language arts achievement of seventh and eighth graders divided into two experimental and one control group. The first instructional method was devoid of certain traditional constraints--grades, tests, homogeneous grouping, grade-level grouping, and assigned homework--while the second method included such constraints. After 150 days of instruction, the Self-Social Symbols Tasks and Sequential Tests of Educational Progress were administered to all students under pretest-posttest conditions. Based on the findings, conclusions were formulated, some of which are that: (1) students who functioned without the constraints had significantly greater academic gain; (2) the two methods of instruction did not have significantly different effects on self-concept; (3) males and females appeared to be affected equally despite the method; (4) black experimental students gained significantly greater egocentricity, but black control students had a greater gain in self-esteem; and (5) no significant differences were found between the gains of heterogeneously grouped seventh and eighth grade students. (Author/TO)