Attitudes of the culturally deprived toward school

Abstract

This is an exploratory study investigating the attitudes of culturally deprived children and their parents toward school. Specifically, it examines the attitudes of children when they enter the primary grade, and after they have spent three months in school, as well as those of children who have been in the school system for approximately a year. The attitudes of the parents of these groups of children are also investigated. The study was carried out at Joseph Howe School in Halifax during the school year 1971-72. The samples consisted of a fifty per cent random sample (27) of the total population of children entering the primary grade in September 1971, a one-third random sample of 21 children from the Grade I classes, and the parents of these groups of children. Structured interviews provided the data concerning the children’s attitudes, while parental attitudes were determined through the use of questionnaires. The initial attitudes of the primary children appeared to be positive with 70 per cent of the sample falling into the positive and very positive categories. After three months in school the overall percentage of these two categories remained relatively unchanged, although a much higher proportion of the percentage fell into the very positive category. Ninety-one per cent of the Grade I students fell into the top two categories. One the whole, the parents of both groups of children indicated that their attitude toward school was positive. These findings support the theories of a number of authors that children arrive at school eager and interested in learning. Further study is indicated to determine at what stage negative attitudes begin to develop and what measures might be taken to alleviate the problem.