Academic self- concept, self-esteem and school attitudes in pre and mid adolescents: gender, SES and parenting

ABSTRACT

Children undergo significant changes as they enter secondary school, a time during which their social and academic self-concept is fluid and the pressures to adjust and show positive attitudes and behaviours are intense. Utilising data from the Millennium Cohort Study (Waves 4 and 5) the purpose of this study was two-fold: to examine longitudinal changes in academic self-concept, self-esteem and school attitudes in pre and mid adolescents through the lenses of gender and SES; and to trace the unique and cumulative effects of SES, gender and parenting on academic self-concept, self-esteem and school attitudes in 14- year-olds. The findings showed that academic self-concept, self-esteem and positive school attitudes decreased considerably between the ages of 11 and 14, and that girls rated themselves lower in self-esteem and school attitudes than did boys. The observed drop in academic self-concept was sharper in 14-year-olds from economically less well-off families. Parent behaviour and practices and the home learning environment contributed significantly to 14-year-olds’ school attitudes, self-esteem and self-concept. These findings have implications for developing school policies that support self-esteem especially during the first years of secondary education.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-esteem
• academic self-concept
• parenting
• gender
• socio-economic factors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ahmet Kuscuoglu

Dr Ahmet Kuscuoglu, PhD, is a national education expert at the Research, Development and Projects Department, Turkish Ministry of National Education. His research interests include special education, poverty, gender, parenting, and child well-being. His research concentrates on socio-economic disadvantage and inequality in the UK and Turkey, with a particular focus on child poverty, parenting and adolescent mental health difficulties and negative school experiences. Ahmet is currently involved in the Turkish government and UNICEF-funded Development of Social and Emotional Skills Project and the Turkish government and European Union-funded Development of Inclusive Education Project.

Dimitra Hartas

Dr Dimitra Hartas is an Associate Professor/ Reader in Special Educational Needs and Disability at the University of Warwick. Her research interests include parenting, young people’s wellbeing, children’s rights and disability, young people’s participation and voice and inter-professional collaboration within the SEN and disability contexts. Dimitra has been involved in a number of government and Erasmus Plus funded research projects. She has written extensively on parenting in 21st century societies and on child development and wellbeing in an era of austerity and rising inequality.