The Relationships between “School Caste,” School Adjustment, Implicit/Explicit Self-Esteem, and Assumed-Competence among Middle and High School Students

Abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between inter-peer group status in “school caste,” school adjustment, implicit/explicit self-esteem, and assumed-competence among middle and high school students. The difference between their educational stages was also explored. Four hundred and eight Japanese middle and high school students completed self-report questionnaires online. The results revealed that in both educational stages, inter-peer group status was associated with school adjustment, and intra-group status was associated with explicit self-esteem, but no significant relationships were found between inter-group/intra-group status and implicit self-esteem or assumed-competence. Furthermore, no difference was found between educational stages in this study, although there was a unique relationship between the inter-group status and explicit self-esteem in high school students. Finally, the relationships between “school caste” and psychological adjustments in students, and the indications regarding this were also discussed.