Page 87 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 87
local community support in students' self-concept development ...
participant’s personal adjustments and academic achievement (Haney &
Durlak, 2006).
When planning an intervention, one also has to consider the timing
in line with the developmental trends of self-concept. The entry to elemen-
tary school and the period of middle childhood is connected to a general
decline in the overall and domain-specific self-concept (Cantin & Boivin,
2004). Researchers (Harter, 2006) attribute this drop to greater reliance to
social comparisons information and social feedback, leading to more real-
istic judgements about one’s capabilities. After this period and the identi-
fication of relative weaknesses and strengths concerning specific domains,
recovery of the self-concept is expected. The next developmental drop in
self-concept is expected in early adolescence due to the transition to lower
secondary school (Wigfield, Eccles, MacIver Reuman, & Midgley, 1991). It is
in this period that ESL is also most frequent. In Western societies, the phys-
iological and emotional changes related with puberty (indicating the on-
set of the period of adolescence) often overlap with the changes associated
with the transition from elementary to lower secondary school (Cole et al.,
2001). But this decline has been found to be less common and less intense
in low-risk students (Castro-Olivo, 2014). Research also shows that a low-
er level of connection with school through school engagement may have a
negative impact on students’ academic achievement (Blum & Libbey, 2004;
Humphrey, 2013). This all indicates that special attention to the positive
self-concept development and support should be paid to the transition pe-
riods in order to foster ESL prevention, with a focus on high-risk students
and the period of transition.
Conclusion
The paper concentrates on the role of the local community in both posi-
tive self-concept development and academic achievement, which both lead
to ESL prevention. The positive youth development perspective, which pro-
vides a theoretical foundation, represents a strength-based approach (as op-
posed to a prevention model) and sees youth as a resource to be developed
and not as a problem. Following this perspective, every young person has
the potential for successful and healthy development and all youth possess
the capacity for positive development. The basic idea is that young people
will develop positively when their strengths are aligned with the resources
to education or to find a job. The programme is basically a second-chance pro-
gramme, but it also builds on relationships with the community.
87
participant’s personal adjustments and academic achievement (Haney &
Durlak, 2006).
When planning an intervention, one also has to consider the timing
in line with the developmental trends of self-concept. The entry to elemen-
tary school and the period of middle childhood is connected to a general
decline in the overall and domain-specific self-concept (Cantin & Boivin,
2004). Researchers (Harter, 2006) attribute this drop to greater reliance to
social comparisons information and social feedback, leading to more real-
istic judgements about one’s capabilities. After this period and the identi-
fication of relative weaknesses and strengths concerning specific domains,
recovery of the self-concept is expected. The next developmental drop in
self-concept is expected in early adolescence due to the transition to lower
secondary school (Wigfield, Eccles, MacIver Reuman, & Midgley, 1991). It is
in this period that ESL is also most frequent. In Western societies, the phys-
iological and emotional changes related with puberty (indicating the on-
set of the period of adolescence) often overlap with the changes associated
with the transition from elementary to lower secondary school (Cole et al.,
2001). But this decline has been found to be less common and less intense
in low-risk students (Castro-Olivo, 2014). Research also shows that a low-
er level of connection with school through school engagement may have a
negative impact on students’ academic achievement (Blum & Libbey, 2004;
Humphrey, 2013). This all indicates that special attention to the positive
self-concept development and support should be paid to the transition pe-
riods in order to foster ESL prevention, with a focus on high-risk students
and the period of transition.
Conclusion
The paper concentrates on the role of the local community in both posi-
tive self-concept development and academic achievement, which both lead
to ESL prevention. The positive youth development perspective, which pro-
vides a theoretical foundation, represents a strength-based approach (as op-
posed to a prevention model) and sees youth as a resource to be developed
and not as a problem. Following this perspective, every young person has
the potential for successful and healthy development and all youth possess
the capacity for positive development. The basic idea is that young people
will develop positively when their strengths are aligned with the resources
to education or to find a job. The programme is basically a second-chance pro-
gramme, but it also builds on relationships with the community.
87
