Development of self-esteem in the early school years

Abstract

This article aims to study the influence of age and sex on the self-esteem of children in the early school years. We administered the EVA self-esteem scale (2015) to 369 boys and girls of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of primary school, and we also asked their teachers what self-esteem they attributed to their students. The results show a slight decline with age in School Satisfaction, and also Social Acceptance diminishes as their school grade increases. In addition, girls have obtained a higher assessment in the Self-assessment factor, which includes how they value parents and how they are valued by parents, as well as physical self-evaluation. Boys, on the other hand, feel more accepted in games and less sad in general. Finally, the self-esteem attributions of teachers show correlations with children’s self-esteem scores. The educational implications of the results and the role of parents and teachers in improving children’s self-esteem are discussed.