Dispositional Hope Level of Left-behind Children in Specific Primary Schools of Rural Ethnic Groups Bai and Shui

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the perception of goals achieved by left-behind children (LBC) in two specific rural elementary schools, namely Zhenxing Central Complete Primary School in Yunnan and Sandong Primary School in Guizhou, comparing with the corresponding data in the sample of the general population of non-left-behind children (NLBC) in Chinas first-tier city Guangzhou. The research employed the quantitive study method of self-report. Quantitive data were collected from 13 August to 20 September 2022, by using self-reporting questionnaire as the Childrens Hope Scale (CHS). The study result shows relatively lower overall scores average in LBC groups than that of the NLBC group. However, all three average scores are in the scope of 17-24, which indicates a majority of highly hopeful mental status. The negative correlation between childrens ages and overall points gained also shows the influence of parent-separation length and sensitivity of childrens perceptions at different ages.