Superstitious Beliefs of Higher Secondary School Teachers in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala State

Superstition is a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance which is transferred from generation to generation. The assessment of superstitiousness, as a component of paranormal belief has encountered by many conceptual and psychometric difficulties (Harvey J. Irwin). Superstition is primarily ignorance. Men due to lack of proper culture and education, they hoped to be depended upon certain happenings. Effects of superstition on student life are mainly loss of concentration, lack of interest in studies, mental disorder and hampering the development of an individual's personality. To eradicate this, present study has made an attempt to study the superstitions of higher secondary School teachers by taking a sample of 200 teachers. The present study also aims to find out the difference, between the superstitious beliefs of higher secondary teachers, whose age is below 35 and above35, teachers coming from village and town area and those who teach in government and aided higher secondary schools in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala State. The superstitions do not differ significantly between that groups classified in terms of age, place of residence and type of management. The analysis and interpretation are made, by us through authentic statistical techniques.