ABSTRACT
Early childhood is a significant period for the development of
self-esteem, that might have a substantial impact on life outcomes. Caregivers’
perceptions can play a critical role in helping children develop a positive
self-esteem. Therefore, this research focused on the perceptions of
kindergarteners regarding factors that are associated with children’s low and
high self-esteem. The research included three phases. Overall, 474
kindergarteners of children aged 4 - 6 years participated in this mixed-methods
study. A content analysis of the first phase yielded four categories including
a total of twenty-two background traits that were described as characterizing
children with low or high self-esteem:
appearance (skin or hair color, height, weight, beauty/ugliness,
well-groomed appearance), disability (learning disability, ADHD, physical
disability/illness, communication disorders), family (structure, SES, involved
parents, anxious parents, only child, born after fertility treatments, position
in the family, number of children, born premature), and a special situation in
kindergarten (entered the kindergarten in the middle of the year, the youngest,
has relatives in the same kindergarten, stayed for a second year). The
following phases of the study revealed that the structure of the family,
disability, and well-groomed appearance had the greatest impact on
kindergarteners’ evaluation of children’s self-esteem.