Annagreta Råberg

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Västerbotten

THIS REPORT DEALS with some problems in connection with the school situation of children from sparsely populated areas. 515 pupils at the middle level of the 9-year compulsory school ir. Västerbotten took part ir. the investigation. 200 of these we*-e children from sparsely populated areas according to the following definition: children having no friends of their own age except in their families closer than one kilometre from their homes. School performance was measured with standard tests in the subjects Swedish, mathematics, English and with marks in grade 6. School adjustment and maturity were measured with teacher estimates. The attitudes of the pupils to school, friends, home and leisure time were studied with questionnaire« in grades 3 and 6 and for the latter ones with a questionnaire in grade 7 as well. Children from sparsely populated areas obtained as good a result as other pupils on the standard tests. In B-schools, above all in grade 6, the children from sparsely populated areas tended to perform better than teir class-mates. Boys from sparsely populated areas obtained somewhat worse results in A-schools in grade 6. Girls performed better than boys throughout. The teacher's estimates of school adjustment and maturity favoured the group from sparsely populated areas compared with other pupils. The attitudes of the pupils to school and school work were somewhat more positive and stable in B-classes. When they reached the senior level of t.he 9-year compulsory school the pupils from B-schools were more insecure in the school situation whereas they seemed less stressed by marks and competition than pupils from A-schools. Children from sparsely populated areas have positive altitudes towards forming new contacts both at the middle level of the 9-year compulsory school and in grade 7. The results indicate on the whole that both B-schools and life in sparsely populated areas favour performance in school. The same is true of school adjustment and comfort in spite of the fact that children from this environment are considered to be a negative sample according to prevalent social group norms.