An Investigation of Adolescents' Attitudes to Aspects of Their School Life

In: Australian journal of social issues: AJSI, Band 11, Heft 3, S. 213-221

Abstract

The attitudes of 4,585 pupils in 27 New South Wales secondary schools to four aspects of school life (school in general, choice of subjects, discipline, and uniforms) were examined in relation to sex, form, and type of school. Marked sex differences in attitudes were obtained, with the girls generally showing more favourable attitudes to school than the boys. Differences in attitudes between forms were found which suggested that pupils tend to reject school values with increased age. Differences between types of schools classified on the basis of geographical location and whether single sex or coeducational did not show clear cut trends. Possible reasons for the findings are discussed as well as the educational implications of the direction and level of pupil opinion about the topics investigated.