Class Clowns: A Study of Middle School Students

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Bowman Damico ◽  
William W Purkey

From a sample of 3,500 eighth-grade pupils, 96 class clowns were identified by peer nominations on a sociometric form. These pupils were compared to a randomly selected sample of 237 nonclown classmates on the bases of teacher ratings and student self-esteem and school-attitude measures. Clowns were found to be predominantly males. Clowns were seen by their teachers to be higher than nonclowns in Asserting, Unruliness, Attention Seeking, Leadership, and Cheerfulness, and to be lower in Accomplishing. Clowns report lower attitudes toward teacher and principal than do nonclowns and see themselves as leaders and as being vocal in expressing ideas and opinions in front of their classmates.

Author(s):  
Jhong Yun (Joy) Kim ◽  
EunBee Kim ◽  
InSu Lee

The purpose of this study is to identify how self-esteem of middle school students for mental care influences their academic achievement and to verify the mediation effect of GRIT on academic enthusiasm. Data of 2590 first graders in middle school from the Kora Children and Youth Panel Survey 2019 was used to support this study. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS21.0, AMOS22.0, and PROCESS macro program. The results are as follows. Comparison of the model fits of each full mediation model and partial mediation model with χ2 showed that the full mediation model was more suitable for this study. In more detail, the influence of self-esteem on GRIT and the influence of GRIT on academic enthusiasm were significantly positive. Lastly, the study identified that there was a mediation effect between self-esteem and academic achievement through GRIT and academic enthusiasm. It indicates that self-esteem is the key to improve academic achievement and that specific programs should be supplemented in order to enhance self-esteem, GRIT, and academic enthusiasm.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document