Self-esteem among Arab adolescents in Israel

J Soc Psychol. 1999 Aug;139(4):479-86. doi: 10.1080/00224549909598407.

Abstract

This study examined the level of global self-esteem of Arab adolescents in Israel and its relationship to perceived academic status and aspirations, interpersonal relationships, community type, and various demographic variables. A group of 1,560 11th- and 12th-grade Israeli-Arab adolescents answered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (M. Rosenberg, 1965). The results revealed significant relationships (a) between global self-esteem and students' evaluations of their scholastic levels, their schools' academic levels, and their plans to take matriculation exams and (b) between self-esteem and family and peer relations. There was a significant relationship between self-esteem and community type. Participants living in cities and villages scored higher than those living in Bedouin townships. There were no significant gender differences or differences among grade levels.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Arabs / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Israel
  • Male
  • Self Concept*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires