Date of Award
1992
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Education Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Education
First Supervisor
Dr David Prescott
Abstract
Researchers have described Non English Speaking Background (NESB) students as educationally disadvantaged but recent statistics show that some NESB students are actually outstripping their English Speaking Background (ESB) peers in educational achievement. In this study 121 students in upper primary classes in a Western Australian government school were surveyed so that NESB and ESB students could be identified and the proportion of NESB students within the sample group established. Information was gathered from both NESB and ESB students by administering a sociogram, the Lawseq test and a Likert scale questionnaire with variables of attitudes towards school, attitudes towards teachers1 influence of parents, and attitude towards future schooling and employment. The data were analysed separately for NESB and ESB students. The results showed that both NESB students and ESB students had very high educational aspirations. From a comparison made of the two sets of results, it was found that a small proportion of NESB students had higher self esteem, were marginally more socially accepted by their peers, had more positive attitudes toward teachers and had more support from parents. These results showed that some of the NESB students in the sample group had higher educational aspirations than their ESB peers.
Recommended Citation
Lienert, S. (1992). The educational aspirations of upper primary non english speaking background students in a mainstream government school. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/488