ABSTRACT
The study sought to investigate the influence of socio-economic
background on self-esteem of female adolescent students in the Ho Municipality
in the Volta Region of Ghana. The study employed a descriptive survey design
with the quantitative approach. A sample of 400 female adolescent Senior High
School students were used for the study. The participants were selected using
the simple random and purposive sampling procedures. A close-ended type
questionnaire developed by the researcher was used and it comprised three (3) sections (A-C)
containing 30 items. Data were analysed using inferential statistics (ANOVA,
Chi-square (χ2), independent samples t-test) and descriptive
statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages). The study
revealed that female adolescent students in the Ho Municipality had high
self-esteem. Furthermore, it was revealed that their self-esteem was not
different based on their age category. The findings of the study indicated that
adolescent girls understood who they were through counselling and parental
advice and related positively with their peers which improved their
self-esteem. It was therefore recommended that female adolescent students be
guided through life irrespective of their background. Again, the adolescents
should be helped to build their self-esteem and this may be included in their
social studies curriculum.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Adolescence is considered a precious but seemingly turbulent
moment in every developing child. Adolescence as an epoch of development can be
defined as a transitional period between childhood and adulthood, whose
traditional drive is towards the preparation of children for adult roles
(Larson
Wilson, 2004). Biologically, adolescence is define as the
physical transition marked by the onset of puberty and the termination of
physical growth; cognitively, as changes in the ability to think hypothetically
and multi-dimensionally; or socially, as a period of preparation for adult
roles (Arnett, 2007). To Arnett (2007), main pubertal and biological changes
include changes to the sex structures, height, weight, and muscle mass, as well
as major changes in brain structure and organization. Mental advances encompass
both increments in knowledge and in the ability to think abstractly and to
reason more effectively.
In a different way, Colemen and Roker (1998) defined
adolescence as a period of multiple transitions involving education, training,
employment and unemployment, as well as transitions from one living
circumstance to another. As the objectives of adolescence are well articulated,
these objectives do not occur or solved at once in a smooth way but face challenges
in their
accomplishment due to many factors that are not excluding
adolescents’ socioeconomic backgrounds. By definition, Baker (2014) asserted
that socioeconomic background is a measure of one’s combined
economic and social status and tends to be positively associated with better
development. This definition focuses on three collective areas of socioeconomic
status; education, income and occupation. An individual’s background is
believed to have a toll on the person’s development including his or her
self-esteem. Marmot (as cited in Hunt & Sweeting, 2014) indicated that, an
individual’s social status has both material and psychosocial dimensions and
operates on different structural levels and is more important in adolescence.
Sang (2015) indicated that adolescent students’ background
factors are important in their lives and may determine the developmental
outcomes and the levels of self-esteem. According to Sang (2015), among the
factors that may determine the developmental outcomes of adolescents are the
family’s socio economic status, family type and the home location. To Sang
(2015), family Socio economic status is commonly determined by the parental
level of education, occupation and income levels.
Researchers were of the view that social disparities have
established in the bodily activity and development of adolescents, with
adolescents with low-educated or low- income parents being less bodily active
and developed (WHO, 2006; Mota, Ribeiro & Santos, 2009). Dishion and
Patterson (as cited in Donna, 2014) indicated that research suggests family
environments as part of socioeconomic background constitute the basic ecology
where adolescents’ behaviour is displayed, learned, stimulated and stifled. It
is also noted that parents’ roles in the family environment have principally
been to nurture adolescents for adulthood through directions and corrections.
It is therefore understandable that the development of adolescent in totality
cannot write off the value and power socioeconomic background has on them. The
influence is believed to be intertwined and espouses many developmental tasks
of adolescents’ including self-esteem. To Mertens (2014), the period of
adolescence can be difficult for both parents and offspring as components of
socioeconomic background; therefore, understanding the significance of
preserving high quality parenting is particularly indispensable. The influence
of socioeconomic background during adolescence continues to affect behaviours
and self-esteem even into adulthood.
Sang (2015) in a study indicated that self-esteem has been
noted to be a very important aspect of adolescents’ self-development because
the evaluation of competencies affects their emotional experiences, future
behaviour and long term psychological adjustment. It has been observed that
adolescents with favourable self-esteem profiles tend to be well adjusted,
sociable and conscientious (Sang, 2015). According to Berk (2006), self-esteem
fluctuates as the children develop an overall view of themselves within the
environment where they are growing up. This is especially true of adolescent
students whose persistent low self-esteem often translates to more serious
problems linked to low achievement (Berk, 2006).
Hall and Rowe (1991) noted that adolescents’ feelings of
self-respect affected all facets of their lives and strongly powered the
realization of their prospective. It is believed that adolescents with high
self-esteem are emotionally stable, mature and can handle live’ challenges
better than adolescents with low self-esteem who tend to be more unstable and
dependent. According to Slavin (2006), the state of the home environment, the
social norms that govern behaviour in the community an adolescent student
belongs and the school experiences have been noted to have influence
not only the academic achievement of the student but self-esteem as well.
Mutie and Ndambuki (as cited in Sang, 2015) reported that
adolescent students’ self-esteem functions as a guide to deciding what to be
and what to do in the future. It helps students to understand themselves and
therefore controlled and regulated their behaviours. Mutie and Ndambuki (as
cited in Sang, 2015) further assert that adolescence is an important time for
development of self-esteem, a positive self-image or self-evaluation. According
to Sang (2015), the adolescents compare their real and ideal self and judge
themselves by how well they measure up to social standards and expectations and
how well they perform. Positive self-esteem and high academic achievement can
make a difference in determining whether the individual will be happy or
unhappy.
Berk (2006) opined that the value of significant others
within the adolescent student’s socio-economic background in influencing the
self-esteem and academic achievement cannot be ignored. The level of education
of parents contributes substantially in stimulating the achievement orientation
in their children with parents with higher education levels being in a better
position to impart the virtue of good performance to their children. The
continuous stressors combined with poverty reduced parental involvement nurturing
their adolescents and hostile living environments profoundly affect the
adolescents’ self-esteem and academic achievement (Berk, 2006). Barry (2005)
further observed that those adolescent students who live in high quality
neighborhoods are noted to perform better in school and develop high
self-esteem than their counterparts in low quality neighbourhoods.
Statement of the Problem
Adolescence in no doubt is a turbulent stage in human
development (Arnett, 2006). The turbulent situation is partly a result of the
imminent and inherent changes that come with the period of adolescence. The
demands for making a successful progression from adolescence to adulthood and
develop a good self-esteem rest on multiple factors including adolescents
socio-economic background, which is believed to have a link with the
development of self-esteem in the lives of adolescents (Arnett, 2006).
In adolescence, children blindly strive to meet the demands
of the imminent changes by way of following directions from significant others
such as parents and peers. Adolescence as a period of changing order in terms
of friendship and development of self-esteem in the lives of adolescents cannot
downplay the essence societal or family background have on the imminent change
and development. A child’s first school in life is the family, where he or she
learns the protocols of the environment, which would in turn lead the child
towards other developmental tasks such as self-esteem (Arnett, 2006).
Socio-economic position is believed generally to have impact
on the adolescents’ total development rather than the usual impact on
performance. This presupposes that socio-economic background may have influence
on the self-esteem of adolescence. At adolescence, young people undergo
important changes, influenced not only by the already-mentioned socio-economic
status, but also by variety of other intrapersonal, interpersonal and
sociocultural determinants (Engels, Finkenauer & Meeus, 2002). Adolescence,
the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, is a critical time for
the development of lifelong perceptions, beliefs, values and practices. It is
accepted that adolescents struggle with the developmental tasks of
establishing identity, accepting changes in physical characteristics, learning
skills for a healthy lifestyle, separating from family and generally evaluating
the self (Susman, Dorn, & Schiefelbein, 2003).
According to Anderson and Olnhausen (1999) before entering
adulthood, it is important for adolescents to develop high self-esteem and the
ability to care for themselves. In this case, adolescents with sound
socio-economic backgrounds are likely to develop high self-esteem and the
vice-versa. Eamon (2005) in a study reported that low socio-economic background
prevents opportunities that are meant for adolescents and increase their
worries and struggles at home, thus, it affects the development of their
self-esteem. Cooke, Hague, and McKay (2016) in their report on Ghana poverty
and inequality indicated that, as at 2013 the poverty rate in Volta region was
33.81% which implies that, low socio-economic background may affect the self-esteem
of adolescent girls who are most vulnerable due to poverty in the Ho
municipality. Again, the researcher through church activities and interaction
with adolescents realised that most of them experienced some level of poverty
which is likely to affect their self-esteem. Besides, there is empirical
research in this domain in the Ho Municipality but few. It is based on this
backdrop that the study intend to investigate the influence of socio-economic
backgrounds on the self-esteem of senior high school adolescent girls.
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