Self-esteem and job satisfaction of adults with mild mental retardation in sheltered workshops and supported employment programs

A sample of 200 adults with mild mental retardation were assessed on overall job satisfaction and self-esteem using the Vocational Program Evaluation Profile and the Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory. The subjects worked either in a sheltered workshop or in a supported employment setting. Results indicated that there was a significant relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction for both groups of subjects. In addition, subjects who worked in supported employment reported significantly higher levels of job satisfaction also. There was also an interaction between place of residence and place of employment when looking at self-esteem; those who live in a semi-independent home and work in supported employment reported the highest levels of self-esteem. These results are discussed in terms of the social validity of supported-employment for persons with mild mental retardation. ^

A comparison of the self -esteem of freshman community college students enrolled in remedial and regular academic programs

This study examined relationships among self-esteem, remedial academic placement, ethnicity, gender, and enrollment status, using a nonexperimental, ex post facto research design. Participants were 113 freshman community college students attending Broward Community College in South Florida. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (Adult Form) was used to measure the self-esteem of the participants. The results of this study indicate a significant difference between the mean self-esteem levels of the students enrolled in remedial academic classes (m = 66.08) and those enrolled in regular academic classes (m = 73.97). An independent samples t-test at the.05 significance level indicated that regular students were found to have higher levels of self-esteem than remedial students (t(112) = 2.14, p =.03). Two-way analyses of variance of placement status by ethnicity, of placement status by gender, and of placement status by enrollment status on self-esteem were also conducted. Interactions between placement status and the other factors were not found to be significant (p $>$.05). However, a significant main effect for ethnicity was found (p $<$.05). The results indicated that white students had a mean self-esteem level (m = 75.30) significantly higher than non-white students (m = 62.76, p =.002).^ The results of this study suggests that many community college students have problems related to self-esteem. Further research should be conducted on remedial and minority college students using a larger sample size and additional variables, such as socio-economic status. ^

A determination of the effects of a ropes course on the self -esteem of undergraduate and graduate students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the ropes course on the self-esteem of undergraduate and graduate students. The ropes course provides challenging experiential activities that facilitate personal confidence and group teamwork. The study relates to adult education, experiential education, and program evaluation within the context of hospitality and tourism management education. Quantitative data were based on the assessment of self-esteem through the completion of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI-C) modified for this study. Qualitative data were based on assessment of participants' reflective papers stating their perceptions of the ropes course. ^ The study compared a treatment group (31 undergraduate and 25 graduate students) which participated in the ropes course, and a control group (31 undergraduate and 25 graduate students) which did not participate. Both groups completed the pre- and post-treatment SEI-C at the same time intervals. The quantitative data were analyzed using a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The qualitative data, comprised of reflective papers voluntarily written by 44 (79%) of the treatment group, were coded using four major themes reflecting the students' perceptions about the ropes course. ^ Scores on the pretest and posttest of the SEI-C were not significantly different for the two groups. The qualitative data showed a favorable impact of the ropes course. The discrepancy in the outcomes based on these two measures suggests that the SEI-C self-report paper-and-pencil instrument may not be sufficiently refined to evaluate the complex issue of self-esteem. The SEI-C, if used, should be supplemented by other evaluation measures, since the two measures may be evaluating different components of self-esteem. They may be also differentially affected by bias in scoring, or by statistical characteristics of reliability and validity. ^