GENDER, ETHNICITY, AND GRADE DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL EXPERIENCES AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Data from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Study (Currie, Samdal, Boyce, & Smith, 2001) were used to analyze the differences in perceptions of educational experiences among over 10,000 sixth to tenth graders of different grades, genders, races and ethnicities. The relationships between students’ evaluations of their school experiences and their perceptions of their achievement were also examined. The results indicated that older students tended to feel more negative about their educational experience than younger students. Male students tended to have more negative attitudes than female students. African American students reported more negative evaluations of their school environment, but tended to report liking school more. Perceptions of achievement were associated significantly with liking of school and with perceptions of teacher caring.