Self-Esteem and the Educational and Vocational Aspirations of Adolescent Girls in South Africa

The purpose of this study was to examine certain aspects of educational and vocational development in adolescent females. Specifically, the major aims were: (i) To determine the relationship between various self-esteem factors and educational and vocational aspirations, and (ii) to ascertain whether socio-economic status, level of academic achievement, or family size were more influential variables than the self-esteem factors. Subjects were 120 White girls, aged between 15 and 16 years, from four co-educational high schools in the urban area of Johannesburg. Multiple regression analyses indicated that, of five self-esteem factors, self-perceived ability was the most important predictor of educational and vocational aspirations. Discriminant analyses demonstrated that the most important predictors of high educational aspirations were level of academic achievement, socio-economic status, and global self-esteem, whereas self-perceived ability, socio-economic status, and global self-esteem were the most important predictors of high vocational aspirations.