| Abstract: | Studies of children's perceptions have shown that self-esteem is an important factor in their social and school performance and that over time low self-esteem is at the root of much problematic behavior among adolescents. This study focuses on children in poverty, adding a home domain dimension absent in most self-esteem scales and examining gender differences. The study findings show that a process of discounting exists between home and school domains and self-worth gender comparisons show a significant deficit for girls. These results contradict previous research that place the onset of deterioration of girls' self-esteem at an older age. The praxis implications of this exploratory research on the intersection of poverty, age and gender are discussed. |
