Abstract
This paper presents the first assessment of the Behavioural Rating Scale of Presented Self-Esteem (Haltiwanger, 1989) in South Africa. The analyses are based on teachers’ evaluation of self-esteem of 57 young isiZulu and Sesotho-speaking children attending a South African government-funded urban primary school. Although we found Cronbach’s Alpha to be very high (α = .96), an exploratory factor analysis revealed a possible two-factor solution. However, the second factor did not match the two-factor solution reported in previous research (Fuchs-Beauchamp, 1996) and explained only a small amount of total variance. No self-esteem differences were detected between boys and girls, or between isiZulu- and Sesotho-speakers. The association between subjective summary ratings of self-esteem by teachers and the PSE scores in Soweto matches the associations measured in the US by Haltiwanger (1989). Interestingly, teachers’ subjective assessment of children’s future leadership status correlated positively with evaluation of the children’s self-esteem, while teachers’ subjective assessment of being burdened by major problems in the children’s future did not. Measurement issues relating to ecological validity, culture-sensitivity, and subsequent work on self-esteem of children and education in South Africa are discussed.
Highlights
Self-esteem is an important predictor of outcomes such as aspirations, performance, and life satisfaction (Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs, 2003; Diener & Diener, 1995; Schoon, 2001)
It is challenging to assess self-esteem in young children and this paper explores the first use of the Behavioural Rating Scale of Presented Self-Esteem (PSE, Haltiwanger, 1989) in a South African urban foundation phase school context, thereby contributing to the growing list of applications of the PSE in different countries and cultural contexts
The interviews with the teachers consisted of three parts: First, teachers responded to the Behavioural Rating Scale of Presented Self-Esteem
Summary
Self-esteem is an important predictor of outcomes such as aspirations, performance, and life satisfaction (Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs, 2003; Diener & Diener, 1995; Schoon, 2001). The present paper assesses self-esteem in young children in a South African township. This assessment is unique in various ways. Self-esteem reflects an evaluation of one’s worth and importance (Rosenberg, 1979), and it is related directly and indirectly to school performance (Marsh & Craven, 2006; Marsh & O’Mara, 2008), aspirations (Sheldon, Ryan, Deci, & Kasser, 2004), wellbeing and happiness (Baumeister, et al, 2003; Bergman & Scott, 2001), and many other desirable outcomes. Self-esteem emerges from a reflective weighing of successes and aspirations (Hart, Atkins, & Tursi, 2006), and it seems to depend on the degree to which actual successes match goals and aspirations (Higgins, 1987; James, 1890)
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