Abstract
Background: Few researches in Macau focus on self-esteem of junior secondary school students. But it is an important construct for youth to face challenges and difficulties. Junior secondary students are in an important age of self-esteem development. This paper investigates factors affecting self-esteem.
Aims: This study aims at investigating the relation among self-esteem, parental relation and life adaptation for junior secondary students in Macau.
Sample: The sample consists of 583 students in 12 classes randomly selected from three grades and three schools in Macau by Multi-Stage Stratified Cluster Sampling.
Method: Correlation research design is used and Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory is used as measuring instrument.
Result: Results showed that boys have higher self-esteem than girls; and grade 7 (or S1) students have higher self-esteem than grade 9 and 10. Self-esteem, parental relation and life adaptation are significantly correlated, and this correlation structure is the same in boys, girls, grade 7, 8 and 9 students. But, correlation coefficient between parental relation and self-esteem are smaller in grade 9 than in grade 7 and 8, but are larger for those between life adaptation and self-esteem in grade 9.
Conclusion: When students grow, influences from parents gradually become less important but those from life adaptation gradually become more important. It is suggested that parents and youth workers should pay attention to these results. Parents should maintain a good relation with their children and help them build up healthy self-esteems of youth when they are young.
| Keywords: | self-esteem; parental relation; life adaptation |
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