ABSTRACT
The small scale investigation I carried out in the school I work at answers the research question: ‘
‘How can teaching professionals best assist the development of pupil’s self – esteem in the classroom? ‘
To undertake this research I had two aims:
1. To understand the ways that self- esteem develops and the impact of the classroom experience on self- esteem.
2. To reflect on and improve my own practice with a view to creating an atmosphere in the classroom where the children could be enabled to view themselves in a more positive light.
I plan to carry out a semi-structured interview with the class teacher I work with because my intention is to improve my
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1. INTRODUCTION
I work in a Voluntary Controlled Church of England school for boys and girls, aged 3 to 11. The school is situated in an area with low socio economic circumstances. It is a school that has pupils with special educational needs and the proportion of pupils with these needs is above the national average. Pupils with special educational needs include specific and moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and behavioural problems, speech or communication difficulties and physical difficulties. Many of these needs may have resulted in children experiencing low self- esteem.
Having worked as a teaching assistant for a number of years, I have worked with children in all different ability groups. My reason for choosing the development of self- esteem as my topic of research, lie both in my professional view of education and in my educational and personal values. I have learnt that self-esteem is one of the most important issues that determine whether an individual reaches his/her potential or falls short of that potential. The personal and social expectations and socio economic circumstances into which we are born may limit us. Self- belief, achieved through high self- esteem, above all else, in my opinion, can enable each individual to come to terms with or surpass his/her circumstances, I believe that each child deserves the optimum conditions in which to develop into a confident and an independent adult and that these conditions
esteem issues. To rectify this, a teaching assistant could praise the pupil for working hard or try to address any underlying issues, such as family troubles. Pupils which constantly disturb others may need to be moved away.
According to a 1993 study in the longitudinal consistency and change in self-esteem form early adolescence to early childhood by Block and Robbins, between the ages of 14 and 23 exists the potential for great changes in how the self-concept develops and is shaped. The study also concluded that more males increased their sense of self-esteem during this time than did females. After people approach the age of 30, most self-concepts remain relatively stable without significant conscious effort (Adler, Rosenfeld, Proctor 63). A realistic self-concept should change over time as it reflects the reality of current circumstances and previous experiences. The tendency, however, is to resist those changes and instead seek out others than confirm the self-concept. The powerful effect that
Effective communication is the most important part in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults. Some pupils that struggle with their learning and/or have confidence issues may find that they can’t communicate with all of us, therefore, treating that pupil in a calm, positive, praising and gentle manner could mean the difference between them trusting us or closing down and giving up. I believe that children should be spoken to
Most people face self esteem problems at different levels. At some point in life people face this problem without realizing it. In the essay The Trouble with Self-Esteem written by Lauren Slater starts of by demonstrating a test. Self esteem test that determines whether you have a high self-esteem or low self-esteem. The question to be answered however is; what is the value and meaning of self-esteem? The trouble with self-esteem is that not everyone approaches it properly, taking a test or doing research based of a certain group of people is not the way to do so.
The concept of self esteem is widespread in life. When it comes to academics and extracurricular actives people associate high self esteem is necessary for success. Society makes promoting self esteem an important goal. With that in mind, it is surprising that only recently scientific literature began providing insight into the nature of development of self esteem.
Social self-esteem is when you based some of your self worth on how social you are and how well you do with people, for example if someone is popular their self esteem maybe higher if they were not. Academic self-esteem when you based some of your self worth one how well you do in an academic setting, if a person gets straight “A”s on their reports card most likely will have a high academic self esteem. Physical self-esteem is your belief about how they look and how other perceive how they look for example someone who constantly gets complimented most likely has a high physical self esteem. Moral self-esteem is based on virtues and how good ,decent, moral, trustworthy you and other individuals are. A person who has trust worthy and well rounded friends will most likely have high moral self esteem because they can confide in their friends and they set a good example.
❖ A child’s self esteem and confidence can be affected by negative experiences at school or other aspects of their life
Building upon not only the intellectual achievement, but also the self-esteem of black students can also help strengthen their achievement. Many studies have revealed that high self-esteem is strongly correlated with subsequent achievement orientation and upward mobility (Hill, 1999). The attitude of significant others (parents, peers, and teachers) toward a child is an important source of self-esteem among black children (Taylor 1976; Gibbs 195; Hill 1999). In school, teachers can encourage interaction between themselves and the students, as well as the students among each other.
Helping children achieve realistic self-esteem is very important so that they can become well-adjusted members of society. These is something that I deem important for the future of humanity. These will not only give children the will and courage to attempt something new but also the resilient to try again after a failure. When people underestimate their problems or automatically accept failure, they block themselves from the opportunity change and success (Belsky, 2013). Real self-efficacy helps compensate for varied happenings in one’s life, as changes in the coping process brought on by different influences, physical stresses, past experiences of failing, and by pursuing ones goals (Bandura, 1982).
And now, her self-confidence and her self-esteem are so much better.”Nobody's perfect but When you let your kids go to school or out in public you want your kids to fit in and you also don't want anyone to make fun of him/her. Kids with good self esteem feel valued and accepted feel confident that they can do what's expected, feel proud of a job well done, think good things about themselves and feel prepared for everyday challenges.When children feel good about themselves, it sets them up for success — in everything from school to friendships. Positive feelings like self-acceptance or self-confidence help kids try new challenges, cope with mistakes, and try again. Taking pride in their abilities and accomplishments helps kids do their
School age children self concept has to do with ability to do things, personality traits, judgemnet of others an their capabilities and well as relations to others. School age children self esteem may go down with the first few years of schooling and will later go up. Culture and child raising forces can affect the childs esteem
Having a positive outlook at school i.e. having self-confidence and self-esteem gives children the choice to build independence. Showing expected behaviour by example i.e. being a good role model, and valuing their work and achievements will all help build up a good relationship with a child. This will all help in leading to better resilience. How children relate to other people depends on their emotional well being and resilience. As children develop they begin to interact with others. Children who feel good about themselves will be able to relate to others in a more positive way. This in turn will make them feel better emotionally and could help their confidence, in-group situations. It is important that practitioners help children to feel positive about themselves. High self-esteem helps children overcome set backs and cope with difficult situations such as disappointment and hurt feelings. If a child is happy and has high self-esteem this makes the process of relating to others easier. Low self-esteem may mean that a child may start to compare themselves with other children in the group. This can affect their emotional well being if they think that they aren’t doing as well as others.
I would argue that self-esteem is indeed critical to student success. Certainly, Maslow’s theory and model of student development can provide insight on the importance of self-esteem in self-actualization. Maslow’s theory understands self-esteem to be a measure of a human beings understanding of his or her acceptance and value. In order for an individual to have good self-esteem, he needs to perceive himself as understood, respected and useful. Recognition of the environment’s influence on self-esteem will necessarily help us to understand the importance of providing a positive educational framework in our classrooms. We must not undervalue the
People’s self-esteem either high or low is shaped by their life experiences. I believe a person’s self-esteem begins to take shape at an early age, with their parents being a major influence. Kind, positive, knowledgeable and caring parents help children create a positive self-image. Parents who do not feel good about themselves or others, sometimes take it out on their childern by belittling them or discouraging them. This leads the child down a path of self-doubt and eventually given the right circumstances a lower self-esteem.
Marilyn Monroe once said, “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” Self-esteem is a big controversial issue in our country today. Self-esteem is the confidence in one’s own worth or abilities. Carl Rodgers was the first psychologist to study the benefits of self-esteem. The self-esteem movement began around 1969 and there was a big push when the ‘me’ generation began in 1985 (Stephenson, 2004). Parents and teachers began to praise kids instead of punish them and to teach them that there are no losers in life, only winners. Minorities began to push for equally in the work place and women were tired of being inferior to men. Everyone wanted to feel confident in themselves and what they were doing. So what is the