2024 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 7-19
[Purpose]
The rate of school absenteeism is increasing among junior high school students. They are at a stage in their lives when they are learning to create a place in society, which suggests the importance of “ibasho,” a place where one can be oneself. This study examined five concepts associated with “ibasho,” including the sense of authenticity, acceptance, basic self-esteem, feelings of enjoyment in school life, and stress responses and their overall effects to explore perspectives for promoting students’ psychological adjustment.
[Methods]
A web-based survey was administered to 1,048 students (908 valid responses) from three public junior high schools. The surveyed included the following scales: the Sense-of-Acceptance Scale, Sense of Authenticity Scale, Basic Self-Esteem Scale, Feelings of Enjoyment of School Life Scale, and Psychological Stress Response Scale.
[Results]
The results revealed that students’ sense of acceptance influenced their sense of authenticity and both “High Self-Affirmation” and “Low Self-Negativity,” which are subscales of the Basic Self-Esteem Scale. Additionally, “High Self-Affirmation” influenced their sense of authenticity and feelings of enjoyment in school life, while “Low Self-Negativity” influenced their sense of authenticity and stress responses. Moreover, their sense of authenticity influenced their feelings of enjoyment in school life and stress responses.
[Discussion/Conclusion]
The results showed that students’ sense of authenticity was associated with all the other factors. Additionally, students’ sense of acceptance and basic self-esteem enhanced their sense of authenticity, which together enhanced their feelings of enjoyment in school life and suppressed their stress responses. Therefore, it is necessary to consider educational interventions aimed at fostering a sense of authenticity, acceptance, and basic self-esteem to prevent school absenteeism.
