Features of self-esteem and aspirations among younger schoolchildren from Russia and Kazakhstan

Introduction. The importance of studying the characteristics of self-esteem in primary school children from Russia and other countries is emphasised, on the one hand, by the need to consider all determinants of a child’s personal development within the educational process – particularly the influence of culture as a macro-level factor – and, on the other hand, by the scarcity of research identifying culturally specific features of self-esteem in Russian primary school children. Aim. The present study aimed to conduct a cross-cultural analysis of the characteristics of self- esteem and aspirations among ten-year-old primary school children attending urban general education schools in Russia and Kazakhstan. Methodology and research methods. The theoretical and methodological foundation of the study was L. S. Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory of psychological development, alongside the comparative-contrastive principle, which is fundamental for cross-cultural analyses. The study involved 600 participants – 300 primary school children from Russia and 300 from Kazakhstan – with an equal number of boys and girls in each group (150 of each). The diagnostic tool employed was the method for measuring self-esteem and level of aspiration developed by T. V. Dembo and S. V. Rubinstein, as modified by A. M. Prikhozhan. The statistical significance of differences in self-esteem and aspirations between primary school children from Russia and Kazakhstan was determined using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s chisquare test. Results and scientific novelty. The identified culturally specific characteristics of self-esteem and aspirations in primary school children from Russia and Kazakhstan constitute a scientific novelty. It was found that ten-year-old Russian children, compared to their Kazakhstani counterparts, have statistically significantly lower mean values of both general and specific self-esteem, but higher mean values of aspirations; this tendency is more pronounced in girls. Statistically significant differences were also observed in the distribution of self-esteem levels: a very high level is more prevalent among Kazakhstani children, whereas a low level is more common among Russian children. Practical significance. The results obtained should be taken into account in the educational practice and psychological-pedagogical support of primary school children in Russia and Kazakhstan. 

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