The International Journal of Indian Psychology | ISSN 2348-5396

Volume 2, Issue 1, Paper ID: B00203V2I12014

http://www.ijip.in | Oct to Dec 2014

Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal
Students
Ankit Patel*

ABSTRACT

The academic achievement is correlates of Psychological variables. This research work was
conducted on a sample of 350 tribal and 350 non-tribal students studying in secondary schools in
PANCHMAHALS district with a view to finding out the effect of the intelligence and academic
motivation on their academic achievement of the pupils in tribal secondary schools in Gujarat,
India. The sample was collected from the students of non-government high schools of tribal area
district who significantly differ in their intelligence and academic motivation. Desai‟s verbal-non
verbal group test of intelligence was administrated to the students. Academic motivation test was
developed by researcher and administrated to the students. The students‟ academic achievement
tool is last preliminary examination score in March, 2011. The mean value analysis of
significance of the mean difference and the values were calculated, other calculated is mean
value analysis of variable and F-test. The findings show that there is no significant difference in
the IQ and academic motivation of standard: X students in the secondary schools of tribal area of
the PANCHMAHALS district, Gujarat-India.

Keywords: Life Skill Education, Tribal and Non Tribal Students

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

The marginalized, by definition and logic and irrespective of faith, form or culture are smaller in
number than the dominant (or mainstream) social groups. Indian society is marked by age-old
tensions between marginalized groups, castes, tribes, and multiple social layers stemming from a
spaghetti bowl of linguistic, racial and religious groups. People displaced by factors such as
natural disasters, man-made political events (e.g. wars), economic changes, inconsistency in
patterns of livelihood support, have continuously added to swelling numbers of these
marginalized communities.

*MA, Clinical Psychology, Dept. of Psychology, Sardar Patel University, Vidhyanagar Guj-
India
© 2014 A Patel; licensee IJIP. This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

The tribal population in India, an estimated 87 million, is marked by intense diversity

Traditionally referred to as advises, tribes, or tribal, scheduled tribes (STs) constitute about 9%
of India‟s population. Despite diversity in their community history, languages, production
practices, and relationships with the non-tribal world, approximately 87 million Indians fall
under the advice population, of which nomadic and denitrified communities1 (DNTs), are at a
projected 60 million. Nine States – Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, and West Bengal – together account for more than
four-fifths of the total tribal population in India.
Each of the 573 scheduled tribes has their own language, and differs from the one mostly spoken
in the State where they reside (Govinda, 2002). Tribal are not a homogenous group. Different
tribes, even if living in the same village, maintain exclusive identities. Socialization is generally
endogamous and they identify more with people belonging to their tribe rather than to those
living in the same village or area.

The current perception of tribal, and their resulting exclusion from mainstream society,
can be traced to the pre-Independence period:
In pre-colonial times, nomadic communities sustained themselves through livelihood options
such as cattle rearing, trade, crafts, carrying items for barter etc. The advisees of India repeatedly
rebelled against the British in the Northeast, Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Advice rebellion in hills and forest was concurrent with education
of the rest of India (Devy, 2008). Branded as “criminals” during the long period of British rule,
the land possessed by the “criminal tribes” was alienated. At the time of independence, India
started to view the advisees as primitive, and thus out of step with history (Devy, 2008).
Each of the 573 scheduled tribes has their own language, and differs from the one mostly spoken
in the State where they reside (Govinda, 2002). Tribal are not a homogenous group. Different
tribes, even if living in the same village, maintain exclusive identities. Socialization is generally
endogamous and they identify more with people belonging to their tribe rather than to those
living in the same village or area.
1 This is a government assigned category for nomadic communities. Some of these communities
are also classified as scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and other backward classes
(OBC), while others are left out entirely.

“The history of tribal during the last 60 years is filled with stories of forced displacement, land
alienation and increasing marginalization, eruption of violence and the counter-violence by the
State. Going by any parameters of development, the tribal always figure at the tail end. The
situation of the communities that have been pastoral or nomadic has been even worse.”
Ganesh Devy, Founder, Bhasha

As a result, tribal communities continue to face economic deprivation and lack of access to
basic services:

As a basic component of human development, the 83rd Amendment to the constitution has made
free elementary education a fundamental right of all the citizens of India. Successive
governments have attempted to balance the inequity in the education system, particularly for the

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 18

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

marginalized groups. Acknowledging that tribal comprise the most deprived and marginalized
groups with respect to education, a host of programs and measures have been initiated since
India‟s Independence. With education viewed as a crucial input for total development of tribal
communities, elementary education has been made a priority area in the tribal sub-plans since the
5th Five Year Plan
(1974-79). As of March 2001, there were 16 million ST children out of a total child population
of about 193 million in the age group of 6-14 years in the country.

“In the 1980s, with literacy levels in the tribal areas 20% lower than the national average, an
ideological shift in government thinking occurred. The realization of the need to mainstream
tribal areas was based on the link between lack of education and under-development of tribal
areas.”
A. M. Tiwari, Secretary, Tribal Development Affairs, Gujarat

There have been marked improvements in access, and to some extent in quality of primary
education in tribal areas:
Education has recently witnessed a rapid transformation, particularly in the areas of access,
pedagogic reform and community participation in tribal areas. Emphasis has been on improving
access to primary education through schemes of non-formal education (NFE), and attempts to
improve quality via training, using local teachers, adapting curriculum and providing locally
relevant teaching-learning materials to tribal students.

“Fundamental changes in how society thinks are essential to enable the marginalized to engage
with the mainstream, and thereby improve their survival (and revival) chances after a disaster.
In societies where prejudice and bias run deep and there is little public debate on key issues, the
need for a profound shift in attitude is critical.”
Suchitra Sheth, Founder of Tribal Education Community, Setu

Low literacy rates continue to indicate a need for more holistic support, from health to
non-tribal attitudes, thus allowing for delivery of high-quality education:
Despite the education initiatives, there is disparity among the states in terms of tribal literacy
rates ranging from 82% in Mizoram to 17% in Andhra Pradesh. The ST literacy rate continues to
be below the national average of 29.6% (Govinda, 2002), with literacy rates among tribal
communities (in particular women) tending to be the lowest2. There exist areas in the tribal-
dominated districts across India that remains largely unnerved by primary education facilities.
Tribal children tend to inhabit forests and hard-to-reach areas where dwellings are spread and
access to good quality education is more limited. Low enrolment coupled with soaring drop-out
rates in primary schools exacerbates the problem, which has its origin in a gamut of inter-related
cultural and socio-economic variables. Advises are associated with a certain stigma and behavior,
which can be partially tackled through a change in mindset among non-tribal.

The under-development of the tribal areas further exacerbates issues in delivering quality
education:
1. Good teachers prefer to live in urban/semi urban centers and therefore, need to commute
for 4-5 hours per day to reach tribal area schools

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 19

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

2. Lack of electricity and water results in poor school infrastructure causing dismal sanitary
conditions and low ventilation
3. Long lead times for delivery of teaching materials imply that textbooks and training
materials arrive at the schools after the training program, or not at all

PIECES OF THE PUZZLE:

Reasons for Out-of-School Tribal Children

High numbers for tribal out-of-school children (those never enrolled in school or drop-
outs) stems from a range of factors:

Empirical evidence suggests that tribal children possess the basic cognitive abilities and
psychological dispositions for successful participation in schools, and their low achievement
levels are attributed to school-related variables as would apply to non-tribal students (Gautam,
2003). Poor performance of tribal students and the below average situation of primary education
in tribal areas is driven by inter-related factors. Most children tend to be first generation learners
whose education is not reinforced or supported in their home environments. Some of these issues
can be addressed through appropriate program design and strategy.

“The situation of tribal education is related to the quality of education in general, and not solely
to being tribal. Of course being a tribal also means that most of the time they are also poor, they
live in areas where the provision of education is very weak, so the situation is not only because
they are tribal but because of all these inter-related issues. It is important therefore to view the
problem in all its complexity.”
Priyanka Singh, Incharge,
Education and Health Programs, Seva Mandir

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 20

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

EXTERNAL FACTORS:
Gender Bias

Although external to the education system, gender disparity is an important issue that needs to be
tackled via appropriate programs. Tribal girls have a higher tendency to drop-out and a lower
tendency to enroll in school.
The Inexcusable Absence of Girls: Gender Disparity in Education:

Gender imbalance is entrenched at all levels of education, placing tribal girls at a disadvantage
in terms of their overall advancement

Among the tribal community, tribal girls form the most neglected group, and are least likely to
be educated. An estimated 37% of girls aged 7–14 belonging to the lowest castes or tribes do not
attend school, compared with 26% of majority girls of the same age (Lewis and Lockheed,
2007). Tribal girls account for only 18% of the total girls enrolled at school, and their dropout
rate is 67%. Additionally, school attendance for tribal girls is 9 percentage points below that of
tribal boys.

Tribal communities are more likely to educate boys than girls due to social and economic factors
– exacerbating this inequity

In many tribal communities, parents give minimal importance to girls‟ education due to
economic and social limitations, send them to school only intermittently, or keep the girls
sheltered from the outside world. Most frequently, girls, apart from taking part in agricultural
activities and collection of forest products are engaged in sibling care. They are often forcibly
pulled out from schools, and become child laborers, never to return to education. For example,
tribal girls constitute majority of the migrant child labor (primarily tribal girls) working in cotton
fields (Rajasekaran, 2008).

INTRODUCTION:

Many researchers have found that intelligence and academic motivation is one of the factors
contributing to the academic achievement of students as such the present study tries to certain
whether there is any significant difference in the academic achievement of the pupils‟ studying in
secondary schools. Academic motivation means the ways of studying whether systematically or

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 21

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

unsystematically efficiently or otherwise study can be interpreted as a planned program of

subject mastery.

Intelligence cover all related aspects of variable I. Q. and non variable I. Q. other way
components of intelligence is understanding, classification, words of opposite, reasoning ability,
same relation, number ability, arrangement sentence etc.

Academic motivation cover all related main aspect of attitudes towards school, aspiration of
academic and present studying students of study habits. Many researchers say academic
motivation and academic achievement is related variables.

We find in intelligence was related to n-ach, socio cultural status, academic achievement (Singh
R, 1986, Prakash J, 1986) and self identify (Sahai S. K, 1985) the period under review is not
strikingly different from the earlier one (Sinha S. K 1977) reported negative attitude towards the
present examination system using a Liker-type questionnaires among university students,
teachers and guardians. Kumari Sudha (1982) study was significant difference among the four
socio metric groups in case of intelligence and achievement. Mr. Dixit and Mithilesh Kumari
(1985) study at all the other intellectuals‟ levels the academic achievement of the girls was
superior to that of the boys. In case of boys there was very high correlation between intelligence
test scores and academic achievement.

OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of the present study are as such…

O.1: To study the academic achievement of tribal and non-tribal students.

O.2: To study the effects of intelligence and academic motivation on the levels of academic
achievement.

O.3: To study the interactional effects of intelligence and academic motivation on academic
achievement of tribal and non-tribal students.

HYPOTHESES:

The following null hypothesis is stated for the present investigation…

HO1. There is no significant effect of intelligence on the levels of academic achievement of

tribal and non-tribal students.

HO2. There is no significant effect of academic motivation on the level of academic achievement
of tribal and non-tribal students.

HO3. There is no significant effect of the main difference of academic achievement of tribal and
non-tribal students.

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 22

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

HO4. There is no significant interactional effect of I. Q. X case on the academic achievement of

tribal and non-tribal students.

HO5. There is no significant interactional effect of academic motivation X case on the academic
achievement of non-tribal students.

DESIGN OF RESEARCH:

In this study 7 tribal and non tribal high secondary schools covering 50% of the total population
from the total number of 12 schools located in PANCHMAHALS district (Gujarat-India) were
selected on random basis all the students both tribal and non tribal studying in X standard were
Desai variable -non variable group intelligence test. Researcher developed a test of academic
motivation were administered this study. Thus the sample included 350 tribal and 350 non tribal
students.

Tribal Students

• 350

Non Tribal Students

• 350

Total Sample for this study is 700.

TOOLS:

In the present study for finding of the affects I. Q. and academic motivation on the academic
achievement the main objectives of this study. Researcher has developed Education Progress
Report of research sample variable of educational achievement is tool of school preliminary
examination in March 2009. Percentage score present study is for finding out the I. Q. and
academic motivation of students of class X. The IQ test developed by Mr. K. G Desai has been
used. The test consists of 80 items classified into eight test battery, classified into eight
categories viz. understanding, classification, words of opposite, reasoning ability, same relation
number ability, unarranged sentence etc. The test includes some items which discriminate
students at 0.01 levels and 0.05 levels. Some items into inventory are of diagnostic nature.

The academic motivation test developed by researcher has been used the test consist of 120 items
classified into three sub. Inventory of 40 items classified into three categories viz. attitudes
towards schools, academic aspiration and study habits. Each item in the inventory is to be tricked
by students against “agree”, “partly agree”, „disagree”. The respondent is required to tick only
one choice against those three choices which we think is best applicable to his/her. In case of the
sub variables depicting goods academic motivation, the students has to be given three marks if he
put, a tick in the column of three, two, one marks are to be given if he puts a trick mark in the
column of agree, partly agree, disagree. In the case of statements depicting bad academic

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 23

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

motivation, the academic motivation test score is between 120 to 360 in positive and negative
items, high scores on the inventory will indicate good academic motivation and vice versa.

DATA:

The data collected were of quantitative nature in the form of score of IQ. Academic motivation
and academic achievement of the pupils of standard X.

ANALYSIS FORMULA:

The sample of this study is taken from selected 12 schools. It was observed that one school a co
education school had results which were consistently superior to the results of the others 7
schools. It was named better high achieving school having 350 tribal and 350 non tribal students.

For analysis formula used is CR value, t- Test, F- Test.

RESULTS:

Table: 1, Relation Academic Achievement of tribal and non tribal students.

Group of N Mean MD SD CR Levels of

sample Value Significance
Tribal 350 44.00 42.3 10.15 Sign
students 4.97 0.01
Non tribal 350 48.72 42.3 11.092 level
students

Table: 2, The Score of IQ and Academic Achievement of the high, medium, low between tribal
and non tribal students.

Variable Level of → High Medium Low

↓ Academic 55 to 70 40 to 54 Below 39
Achievement N M 6 N M 6 N M 6
t Value

t Value

t Value
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
IQ Tribal 36 120.7 14.7 166 115.6 13.4 48 90.5 17.5
**
10.29

**
11.74

*
0.57

and
caste
Non tribal 48 125.1 16.5 170 118.5 14.7 42 92.6 15.2
Academic Tribal 36 321.7 10.3 166 308.1 13.4 48 312.7 11.7
**
4.54

**
3.14

**
2.15

motivatio Non tribal 48 310.3 12.7 170 303.7 12.4 42 306.4 13.6
n and
Caste
* Non Significant at 0.05 levels, ** Significant at 0.05 or 0.01 levels

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 24

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

Table: 3, the score of factorial design analysis of variance of the effect of caste (Tribal- Non
Tribal) X I. Q.

A- Intelligence Quotient
Caste High Medium Low
A1B1 A2B2 A3B3
Tribal N 20 120 45
Students Ex 1210 3544 3474
-X 60.5 46.2 38.6
Ex2 462101 483118 320138
Non- Tribal N 46 150 74
Students Ex 2700 7514 3084
-X 58.7 50.1 41.7
Ex2 420640 397120 362898

B- Academic Motivation
Caste High Medium Low
A1B1 A2B2 A3B3
Tribal N 32 146 64
Students Ex 1786 6496 3244
-X 55.8 44.5 50.7
Ex2 366718 427114 66994
Non- Tribal N 34 124 100
Students Ex 2064 3246 4380
-X 70.7 42.3 43.8
Ex2 380116 336894 65552

Table: 4

Significant of F value

Interactional Origin of DF SS MS F Significant

Variable Value of F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
*Independent 1 122.72 122.72 0.039 Not
Caste X Variable- 1 Significant
I. Q. I.Q at 0.05
levels
*Independent 2 10424.23 10424.23 3.35 Significant
Variable- 2 at 0.05
Caste levels
*I.Q 2 260.15 130.075 0.042 Not
Significant
at 0.05
levels
X Caste
*error 488 759567.26 3117.9

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 25

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

*Independent 1 86.96 86.96 0.0777 Not

Caste X Variable- 1 Significant
Academic Academic at 0.05
Motivation Motivation levels
*Independent 2 7671.4 3835.7 3.02 Significant
Variable- 2 at 0.05
Caste levels
*Academic 2 534.39 267.2 0.24 Not
Motivation Significant
at 0.05
levels
X caste
*error 488 275584.5 1129.4

CHARTS:

Academic Achivement

50
48
46
Academic Achivement
44
42
40
Tribal Students Non Tribal Students

INTERPRETATION OF TABLES AND TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS:

The study of table- 1 show that t- value is significant at 0.01 levels constructed by research HO3
is “There is no significant of the mean difference of Academic Achievement of tribal and non-
tribal students” tested t-value is 4.97 which is significant. If we reject of there is significant of
the mean difference of Academic Achievement between Tribal and non Tribal students.

HO1: “There is no significant effect of intelligence on the levels of academic achievement

between tribal and non tribal students” tested-t value is 10.29, 11.74, 0.57 (I.Q. High, Medium
Academic Achievement of the tribal and non tribal students) which is significant if we reject of
this null hypothesis, but I.Q. of low Academic Achievement of the Tribal and non Tribal students
which is not significant. So we accept of this null hypothesis.

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 26

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

HO4: “There is no significant interactional effect of I.Q. X caste on the Academic Achievement
of tribal and non tribal student” tested F. value is 0.042 which is not significant. So, we accept of
no significant interactional effects of I.Q. X caste on the Academic Achievement of tribal and
non-tribal students.

HO5: “There is no significant interactional effect of Academic Motivation X caste on the

Academic Achievement of tribal and non tribal students” tested F- value is 0.24 which I not
significant. So, we accept of no significant interactional effects Academic Motivation X caste on
the Academic Achievement of Tribal and non Tribal students.

HO2: “There is no significant effect of Academic Motivation on the levels of Academic

Achievement of tribal and non tribal students” tested t-value is 4.54, 3.14, 2.15 (Academic
Motivation of high, medium, low Academic Achievement of the Tribal and non Tribal students)
which is significant at 0.05 or 0.01 levels. So, we reject of this null hypothesis.

FINDING:

 There is significant effect of intelligence on the level (High, Medium Academic

Achievement) of the academic achievement between tribal and non tribal students.
 There is significant effect of Academic Motivation on the levels of the academic
achievement between tribal and non tribal students.
 There is significant of the mean difference of academic achievement of tribal and non
tribal students.
 There is no significant interactional effect of I.Q. caste on the academic achievement of
tribal and non tribal students.
 There is no significant interactional effect of Academic Motivation X caste on the
Academic Achievement of tribal and non tribal students.

REFERENCE:

1. Aggrawal J. C. “Educational Research” Arya Book Depot, Delhi 1975, Page. 15 to 20

2. Anastasi Anne. “Psychological Measurement Macmillan” Robants Publication, New
York, 1961
3. Asthasan Bipin. “Measure & Evaluation in Psychology” Vinod Pustak Mandir, Agra,
2000, Page. 22 to 25
4. Best Jhon W. “Research in Education” Delhi Prentice Hall of India, 1977
5. Besunont, Henry. “Psychological Factor in Education” MCC Raw Hill Book, Company
INC First Edition, 1949, Page. 45 and 46
6. Desai K. G. “Education of Psychology” Anada Book Publication, Ahmadabad, 1999,
Page. 33 to 35
7. Garret H. E, “Statistics in psychology and Education” Vakils Feher and Simons, Bombay,
1973

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 27

 Need For Life Skills Education among Tribal and Non Tribal Students

8. Gautam, V. 2003. “Education of Tribal Children in India and the Issue of Medium of
Instruction: A Janshala Experience.” UN/ Government Janshala Programme. New Delhi.
9. Govinda, R. 2002. India Education Report: A Profile of Basic Education. Oxford
University Press.
10. Jha, J and D. Jhingran. 2002. “Review of Elementary Education for Poorest and Other
Disadvantaged Groups: The Real Challenge of Universalisation.” Centre for Policy
Research. New Delhi.
11. Jhingran, D. 2000. “Janshala – Mainstreaming Out of School Children through Bridge
Courses”. Monthly Newsletter of the Joint GOI-UN System Education Program. April-
June.
12. Kothai, K. 2007. “Seasonal Migration hinders Education in India”. OneWorld South
Asia. October.
13. Mishra, M. 2007. “Status of Elementary Education in Tribal Areas of Orissa”.
Department of Tribal Education, Orissa.
14. Mishra, R.C., Sinha, D and J.W. Berry. 1996. Ecology, Acculturation and Psychological
Adaptation: A Study of Adivasis in Bihar. International Association for Cross-Cultural
Psychology.
15. Nair, P. 2007. “Whose Public Action? Analyzing Inter-sectoral Collaboration for Service
Delivery: Identification of Programmes for Study in India.” International Development
Department, Economic and Social Research Council. February.
16. National Tribal Commission. 2008. “Education of Tribal People in India.” March.
17. Noronha, A. 2006. “Education of Tribal Children, from Social Mobilization to Poverty
Alleviation.” OneWorld South Asia. March.
18. Rajasekaran, G. 2008. “Tribal girls till the land in Bt cotton fields.” Newindiapress.com.
19. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. 2002. “Education of Tribal Children in India.”
20. Stephen Wisemer. “Intelligence and Ability” Pengin Book.Ltd, England, 1961
21. Sweta Bagai, Neera Nundy. “Tribal Education” DASRA, 2009
22. UNESCO. 2002. “Innovations in Non-Formal Education: A Review of Selected
Initiatives from the Asia-Pacific Region.” Bangkok.

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology | 28