ABSTRACT

The central theme of this study has been the development in children of a set of ‘taken-for-granted’ attitudes towards the self and its presentation in the classroom. This self-concept I suppose to be formed through the child's interaction with his teacher and his peers. The previous three chapters have concentrated almost exclusively upon the importance of the relationship between the teacher and the individual pupil. I believe that this relationship has a fundamental importance in structuring children's responses in school. In several case studies, however, I have argued that changes in a child's classroom behaviour, or in his view of himself, have been influenced by his relationships with his peers. For example, it was suggested (pp. 95–7) that Mary's interest and ability in her schoolwork deteriorated after she had been moved from primary to secondary school and that this may have been connected with her ambiguous friendship aspirations.