The Relationship Between School Type and Adolescent Self Esteem, Attribution Styles, and Affiliation Needs: Implications for Educational Outcome

Abstract

Summary. This paper explores the notion that the type of school attended will affect adolescents' self esteem, locus‐of‐control orientation, and affiliation needs. It proceeds to examine the view that these are in turn linked to success in particular subject areas, assessments of achievement in these same subjects, perceptions of the importance of school life and future career options. A sample of 1,675 school children, 896 males and 779 females from sixteen non‐government schools was employed. The majority (79 per cent) attended single‐sex schools while the remainder attended co‐educational schools. Major results indicated that type of school attended did have consequences in terms of adolescents' stated preferences and rated achievement in subjects. Students attending co‐educational school were found to have more traditional subject preferences and assessments of achievement in those subject areas than students attending single‐sex schools. Students attending co‐educational schools were also found to have lower self esteem, and greater affiliation with peers than students from single‐sex schools. However, these relationships were not simple. Sex differences mediated the major associations reported between type of school attended and adolescent self perceptions. Interpretations of these and other results and suggestions for further exploration of associations are given.

The Gendered Nature of Competence: Specific and General Aspects of Self‐Knowledge in Social Contexts1

“…Similarly, in the United States, adolescents at single-gender Catholic high schools were "less likely to see themselves in sexstereotyped adult roles" (Lee & Bryk, 1986, p. 394). Another Australian study in single-gender and coeducational nongovernment high schools found similar effects of school type on adolescents' ratings of achievement as well as subject preferences (Foon, 1988). In summary, previous research suggests a straightforward outcome; that traditional gender stereotyping in adolescents' academic selfconcepts is reduced at single-gender schools.…”

The Influence of Gender, Academic Achievement and Non‐school Factors Upon Pre‐adolescent Self‐concept

“…Boys report higher self-concepts in physical abilities and physical appearances than girls, but they do not differ from girls in their self-concepts about relationships with parents and peers, or in general self (Simmons, 1987;Foon, 1988;Marsh, 1988;Cairns, 1990;Harter, 1990;Eccles et al, 1993). Boys have demonstrated less anxiety (Piers, 1984) and higher self-concepts of sporting competencies (Harter, 1981) than girls.…”

Correlates of cross-sex friendship satisfaction in Hong Kong adolescents

“…In Hong Kong, for example, adolescents from single-sex schools exhibit less closeness with peers of the opposite-sex than do those from coeducational schools (Leung, 1994), perhaps because coeducational schools provide a more natural setting in the sense that both sexes work together. Compared to adolescents from single-sex schools, adolescents from coeducational schools show higher affiliation with their peers (Foon, 1988). Thus, the mixed-sex context may prepare students to interact with opposite-sex peers more readily.…”