An analysis of students' self-esteem and students' attitudes toward culture in secondary schools in Trinidad
Abstract
This study investigates the following questions: 1) Is there any relationship between students' self-esteem and students' attitudes toward their culture? 2) Is there any relationship between students' self-esteem and students' racial, cultural, and national identity? and 3) What are the correlates of students' self-esteem, students' cultural identity, students' attitudes toward culture, students' racial identity, and students' national identity? The Tennessee Self Concept Scale and a researcher-developed Attitude Toward Culture Questionnaire were utilized. The study was conducted in two government secondary and two assisted secondary schools randomly selected from the Port of Spain area in Trinidad. The sample comprised both male and female Form 1 and Form 5 students. Data were analysed using analysis of variance and Multiple Classification Analysis. The findings showed that age, father's occupation, and race are the most important variables in determining students' self-esteem, students' attitudes toward culture, students' racial identity, and students' national identity. It was also revealed that age is a major contributor to negative attitudes