ABSTRACT

The social and emotional development of children is deeply embedded in a sense of self and in the nature and quality of relationships with others, both peers and adults. R. L. Hartley looked at the effects of children's beliefs about themselves on their academic output. He was interested in 'the attribution of competence and the school experience of disadvantaged children'. Children are constantly in a process of negotiating and renegotiating the balance between being attached to others and being independent as they encounter each new developmental phase. Most children acquire a realistic view of themselves with appropriate levels of self valuing and critical appraisal. Positive self-esteem is vital to achievement, both in work and in relationships. Manifestations of either passive or active low self-esteem are not useful for the individual child or for the harmonious functioning of the classroom. Children with low self-esteem are hard on themselves and hard on their teachers.