Self-Esteem in Rural Schools: Dreams and Aspirations.

A study comparing the effects of student self-concept, classroom environment, and socioeconomic status on student aspirations and achievement surveyed 3,397 students in 28 rural and urban high schools in Western Australia over a period of 3 years. Government and nongovernment schools in metropolitan areas and in four categories of rural and remote areas were included. This paper presents findings from data collected during the first year. The classroom learning environment had a strong, positive effect on student self-concept, which in turn had an indirect effect on student ambition and aspirations. Socioeconomic status (SES) had a strong, positive effect on student ambition and aspirations, but did not directly affect self-concept. The effect of SES on ambition was very strong; the effect on achievement was weak, but positive. Overall, SES had an overwhelming impact on these student outcomes. Self-concept had a direct effect on student ambition, aspiration, and achievement. This effect was mitigated by SES, but was still strong. For urban students, there appeared to be little or no relationship between self-esteem and ambition. For rural students, there was a small effect of self-esteem on ambition and a larger effect of ambition on self-esteem. Contains 41 references and 15 tables and figures. (TD)