Abstract
The main aims were to determine among adolescent school girls, (a) whether significant differences in attitudes towards discipline occurred for pupils classified according to age and ability/academic level; and (b) whether anysignificant relationship occurred between attitudes towards discipline and the variables of self-esteem, anxiety, reasoning, personality and attitude towards school for pupils classified according to age and academic group membership. Other aims were to ascertain, (a) whether significant differences occurred for self-esteem, anxiety, reasoning, personality and attitude towards school for pupils classified according to age ability/achievement, and (b) whether any significant relationships occurred for these variables for pupils classified according to age and academic group membership.
The sample comprised all third year comprehensive school girls (N = 151) and all fourth year comprehensive school girls (N = 13O). Each year has streamed forms, six occurring within the third year group and five occurring within the fourth year group.
The following instruments were employed to obtain data:
(1) Ravens Progressive Matrices;
(2) The Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory;
(3) The Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory;
(4) The Boxall Anxiety Test;
(5) Fitts Attitudeto School Scale;
(6) Two Attitudes Towards Discipline Questionnaires.
The main findings of the study are listed below:
(1) Age is a significant factor influencing attitudes towards discipline. For the total sample the younger age group had a significantly better attitude towards discipline than the older age-group.
(2) For the total sample age influenced significantly attitude towards school (the younger age group having a significantly better attitude towards school than the older age group), and also significantly total reasoning score (the older age group scoring significantly higher than the younger age group. Age did not influence significantly performance on tests of self esteem, anxiety, attitude towards school, extraversion and neuroticism.
(3) For all sub-groups within the younger and older age groups respectively age did not influence significantly responses to one attitude questionnaire (b), but did exercise some significant influence on certain sub-groups for the other attitude questionnaire (a).
(4) For all sub-groups within the younger and older age-groups respectively, no significant differences occurred between different sub-groups for anxiety. In some sub-groups, but not in all groups, significant sub-group differences occurred for self-esteem, attitude towards school, reasoning, neuroticism
and extraversion.
(5) For all sub-groups within the younger and older age-groups respectively a highly positive significant association exists between attitudes towards discipline as assessed by two different attitude questionnaires. For some sub-groups no significant relationship occurred between attitudes towards discipline and self-esteem, anxiety, attitude towards school, reasoning, neuroticism and extraversion, but for other subgroups significant relationships occurred between some of these variables and attitudes towards discipline.
(6) For all sub-groups within the younger and older age groups respectively significant relationships existed between some of the variables of self-esteem, anxiety, attitude towards school, reasoning, neuroticism and extraversion for some sub-groups but not for other sub-groups.
| Date of Award | Dec 1985 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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