ABSTRACT
The study determined the
relationship among parental self-esteem, value preference and achievement
orientation of in-school adolescents. The study also had parental level of
education and location as moderating variables. The study was conducted in six
education zones in Enugu State. Six research questions and six hypotheses
guided the study. The design of the study was correlation. The population of
the study was all the SS 11 in-school adolescents in Government owned secondary
schools in Enugu state. The sample of the study was one thousand three hundred
and fifty in-school adolescents which were drawn through multi- stage sampling
technique. Three sets of questionnaires were used to collect data for the study
while data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation and
Pearson product moment while simple linear regression was used to test the
hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found out among others that
the relationship among parental self-esteem, value preference and achievement
orientation of in-school adolescents is positive. Based on the findings some
recommendations and suggestions for further studies were made.
Key word: parental self- esteem, value preferences, parental
level of education, location, achievement orientation, and in-school
adolescents.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The
trend about low achievement orientation of in-school adolescents seems to be on
the rise. Most of the in-school adolescents dodge classes, do not attend school
regularly, feel reluctant to study, see schooling as a burden, enjoy going late
to school, indulge in examination malpractice to make a good grade, and do not
care about paying school fees. Apparently, most of the in-school adolescents
may prefer short-cuts to achievements due to the self-esteem of their parents
(Adama, 2007).
Self-esteem
refers to the extent to which one likes, accepts, and approves of oneself
(McLeod 2008). According to Ugwu and Ugwuele (2006), self-esteem is the extent
at which one values oneself. Self-esteem is the feeling of self-worth and
self-satisfaction about oneself. The self-esteem describes the unique make-up
of an individual that exist inherently and is informed by harmonious identification
and incorporation of parent’s attitude and traits (Firestone, 2011).
Self-esteem supposed to be an especially important issue for parents given the
central role they play in the socialization and development of their children.
Parents influence their adolescents directly and indirectly, consciously and
unconsciously through modeling, through provision of guidance, advice,
opportunities, constraints and reinforcement by their parenting practices and
through values and belief they hold. In this study, self-esteem is one’s value
and acceptance in ones social group.
Parental
self-esteem is the positive and negative appraisal of a parent’s own worth.
Parent’s self-esteem can be low or high. Low self-esteem is a debilitating condition that keeps individuals
from realizing their full potential. A person with low self-esteem feels
unworthy, incapable, and incompetent. In fact, one with low self-esteem feels
so poorly about oneself. When it is low, a parent has negative view of
themselves and this may lead to lack of confidence, want to be like someone
else, and always suspicious of others. High self-esteem is the type that gives
one the strength and flexibility to take charge of one’s life and grow from
one’s mistakes without the fear of rejection. When it is high, a parent has
positive view of themselves and it tends to lead to confidence in parents’
abilities, self-acceptance, not worrying much about what others think and say.
Firestone (2011) added that when parents feel good about themselves, they are
much better able to extend this positive sense of self to their children. They
can engage in activities, relates to and offer children support from a place of
confidence and ease. On the other hand, when parents have negative of
themselves, it is equally easy for them to extend these negative feelings to
their children. Operationally, parental self-esteem describes the way parents
think and feel about the self and also present themselves to others.
The
negative thought parent harbor towards themselves can lead to parental
rejection, neglect or hostility. Parents’ negative self-esteem also serves as
an example for their children. When parents hear their children comment on
their performance in the school or call themselves stupid, parents may wonder
where the children got such ideas about themselves. But parents can certainly
recall many atimes they criticized themselves for being lazy or stupid in front
of their children (Firestone, 2011).
Parents
with negative self-esteem may not have good parents-child relationship and may
not show love, care and warmth to their children and as a result, these
children may develop low achievement orientation. Positive
parental self-esteem could breed high achievement orientation. Parents with high
self-esteem could set high standard for their adolescents and take time to monitor the
adolescent’s school achievement. Also the fact that value systems are profitably transferred from
parents to their children is supported by research which shows that parent’ values and beliefs
directly predict adolescent achievement orientation (Garnier & Stein, 2002).
As primary agents of socialization, parents have an extended period of time and many
opportunities to transmit their self-esteem and values to their children.
The
term “value” refers to a general conviction a person holds and defends (Ngwoke
& Omego, 2013). Value emerges in the process of interactions and activities
in the society and defines the choice between different ways of behaviour in
certain situation. Basic human values enhance good behaviour, attitude,
purposes and direction to human lives. According to Achugbu (2012), the word
value has several meanings. One is the actual worth of an item in monetary
terms. Another meaning of value involves a more personal measure of worth, such
as how important individual consider certain things, beliefs, principles and
ideas, people attach different worth to things based on their sense of value.
Values are abstract goals that are applied across situations and serve as
guiding principles in people’s live in the selection and justification of
actions and evaluation of others and events (Schwartz & Bardi, 2001).
Operationally, value is the relative worth, an individual attach to issues,
things and event.
Value
can be core or ephemeral (Ben & Aminu, 2013). The core values are those
worth which people cannot compromise. They are for the well-being of the
individual and the society. On the other
hand, ephemeral values are those worth meant to unduly exaggerate self about
the societal values.
One
of the objectives of the nation’s educational policy is the inculcation of the
right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and the
Nigerian society (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004:8). Value here means the
attachment of importance to issues, things or phenomena. It is a belief in a
reason for existence which is preferred to its opposite. Ones value system may
change due to experience, education and the likes. People attach different
worth to things based on their sense of values. The worth and the importance
people attached to a situation, things and event becomes their preference.
Value preference can be seen
as the attitudes and behaviours of a person towards accomplishment (Omego,
2009). Changes are expected in the value preference of parents as they have
contact with the working environment. Parental value preference is considered
as the choice of values parents make in all facets of their lives. Such choice
directs parent’s attitudes and behavior. In the context of this study, parental
value preference is the attitude and behaviour of parents towards achievement
of the in-school adolescents. Parental value preference can be core and it can
be ephemeral. Most parents may prefer hard work and right training for
achievement but some parent may prefer short-cuts for achievements. Such
short-cuts often results to vices like examination malpractices, cultism,
internet stealing, abduction of innocent citizens, and robbery. Parental value
preference may be as a some times be due to the parent’s level of education and
location.....
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