Preferences of Lifestyles in High School Students and Their Relation to Gender, School Achievement and Parents Education

Abstract

The aim of the research is to determine the lifestyle preferences in high school students, as well as to determine the differences in the preferences between respondents according to gender, school achievement and parents' education. The survey was conducted on a sample of 237 subjects, students of secondary schools in Bitola, Republic of Macedonia. In the research was used the Scale for measuring the value orientations by Popadic (1995), which measure 10 value orientations: family-sentimental, altruistic, cognitive, utilitarian, egoistic, hedonistic, religious-traditional, orientation to popularity, Promethean activism and orientation to power. The results showed that the most preferred lifestyle is a family-sentimental, which means that the family is one of the dominant values, following utilitarian lifestyle, egoistic and hedonistic orientation. At least preferred lifestyles are: orientation to popularity, orientation to power and cognitive lifestyle. There were no significant differences in terms of lifestyle preferences among the respondents of different gender, with exception of the orientation to popularity, which is more valued by the girls. Students who have less success at school more prefer the hedonistic orientation and orientation to popularity, while students who have better success at school, more value the cognitive lifestyle. Students whose parents are more educated more prefer the cognitive lifestyle of students whose parents have lower levels of education.