Relationship of Academic Achievement, Self-Esteem, Parental Educational Level and Occupational Aspiration in Elementary School Students

초등학생의 학업성취, 자아존중감, 부모의 학력과 직업포부의 관계

The purpose of this study was to examine variables affecting the occupational aspiration of elementary school students and the relationship of the variables in a bid to acquire empirical information on influential factors for the development of children's occupational aspiration. Out of the personal characteristics of school children, academic achievement, self-esteem and parental educational level that respectively belonged to the cognitive, affective and environmental domains were selected as the variables that might affect occupational aspiration. And the relationship of the variables to the level of occupational aspiration was selected as a research question of the study. The findings of the study were as follows: in relation to the level of occupational aspiration by gender, the girls were ahead of the boys. There were no statistically significant gaps in that aspect according to grade. And, the academic achievement of the elementary school students had a positive correlation to the level of their occupational aspiration, and there was no statistically significant relationship between self-esteem and the level of occupational aspiration. When academic achievement and self-esteem were selected as predictors, the two variables made a 8.5% prediction of the occupational aspiration of the fourth graders, and made a 12.3% prediction of the occupational aspiration of the sixth graders. There were no statistically significant differences in the level of occupational aspiration according to parental educational level. The fourth and sixth graders were found to have an occupational aspiration in consideration of not only the characteristics of occupations but their own academic achievement, namely their abilities.

이 연구는 초등학생의 직업포부를 형성하는 과정에 영향을 주는 요인들을 살펴 이에 대한 경험적 자료를 마련하는데 그 목적이 있다. 이러한 목적에 따라 초등학생의 개인적 특성 변인 중에서도 인지적 측면인 학업성취와 정의적 측면인 자아존중감, 환경적 측면인 부모의 학력을 변인으로 정하여 직업포부 수준과 어떤 관계가 있는지 연구문제를 설정하였다. 이 연구결과 성별에 따른 직업포부 수준은 여학생이 남학생보다 높게 나타났으며, 학년에 따라서는 통계적으로 유의미한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 그리고 초등학생의 학업성취는 직업포부 수준과정적인 상관관계를 보였으며, 자아존중감과 직업포부 수준의 관계는 통계적으로 유의하지 않았다. 학업성취와 자아존중감을 예측변인으로 했을 때 4학년의 경우에는 직업포부 수준의 9%, 6학년은 12%를 설명하였고, 부모의 학력에 따른 초등학생의 직업포부 수준은 통계적으로 유의미한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 특히 초등학생 4, 6학년이 직업의 특성뿐만 아니라 학업성취, 즉 자신의 능력을 함께 고려하여 직업포부를 결정한다는 것을 알 수 있었다.