CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Self-esteem is a psychological phrase that refers to a person’s total feeling of self-worth or personal importance. Self-esteem was once thought to be a personality attribute, implying that it is stable and long-lasting. It included a range of self-perceptions, such as how one perceives one’s own looks, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors (Malbi, 2002). Many researchers have attempted to comprehend the idea of self-esteem, including its definition, measurement, stability, origins, and impact on numerous aspects of life, including schooling. Most secondary school students are between the ages of 12 and 20, and because this is a period of transition and stress, self-esteem is prone to fluctuate. Many teenagers struggle with their self-esteem and academic performance. Between the ages of seven and fifteen, self-esteem and academic performance appear to be most closely linked (Reasoner, 2000). Those who are confident in themselves achieve more, while those who are insecure achieve less. However, because correlation does not imply causation, this does not imply that strong self-esteem produces good academic performance. Other research have found that strong self-esteem is a byproduct of superior academic performance rather than the cause. According to Reasoner (2005), while academics generally agree that there is a strong association between self-esteem and academic success, there are significant differences in the nature of the relationship. Since a result of the literature review, the link between self-esteem and academic performance is still unclear, as research yield contradictory results. Gender was widely assumed to have an impact on the development, expression, and manifestation of self-esteem (Habibollah, 2009). According to several research, boys and girls have different primary sources of self-esteem, with girls affected more by relationships and guys influenced more by objective success. According to previous research, male adolescents exhibit stronger self-esteem than female adolescents, according to Campbell (2001). Male self-esteem seemed to be impacted more by objectives of independence and autonomy, whereas female self-esteem tended to be influenced more by goals of sensitivity and dependency (Alesi, 2006). Overall, it found that males develop self-esteem by succeeding, but females gain self-esteem by cooperating. According to Donnellan (2001), African American pupils in the United States had the highest self-esteem, followed by Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. Despite the fact that they all had a high average self-esteem ( Crocker, 2002). Markus has described why Asians had poor individual self-esteem. Because Asian culture is collectivist in nature and places a strong focus on the collective, exhibiting great self-esteem as an individual goes against traditional values. The history of self-esteem as a concept may be traced back to well-known psychologists. Among the earliest were William James and Mead (1890). They proposed that self-esteem was equal to a person’s success divided by his or her aspirations. Academic performance divided by how well one feels he or she should be doing would be one’s self-esteem. To enhance one’s overall self-esteem, one must either increase successes or lower expectations for accomplishments. This continues to have an impact on people’s perceptions of self-esteem (Wickline, 2003). Rogers (2009), a self-psychologist, was interested in the general nature of subjective experience and the individual’s acceptance of that experience. According to Bednar (2007), each person’s distinctive perception of reality is constructed through the creative self. Gordon Allport (2011) suggested that the development of self-awareness follows development learning lines. He recognized seven distinct dimensions of self-identity. The program’s third development stage is self-esteem. It is a feeling of accomplishment that occurs when a youngster succeeds in mastering activities. Rosenberg did a research on teenage self-esteem in 2011 and came up with three self-esteem classifications: the existing self, the aspired self, and the presenting self. Rosenberg warns that no one understands the true self, but that each person constructs and interprets self-images. He distinguished between self-assurance and self-esteem. Self-esteem, in his opinion, is more of an emotive feeling of efficacy. As a result, while self-confidence can help with self-esteem, the two are not synonymous. Self-esteem has a major impact on pupils’ academic performance, according to research conducted mostly in western and European cultures (Spinath, 2006). For learning results, students’ evaluations of the match between their self-concept and academic objectives are critical. However, there hasn’t been a lot of actual research done to see if these conclusions can be applied to civilizations other than Western, European, and Asian cultures. The minimal study relating the idea of self-esteem with academic performance on the African continent was particularly noteworthy (Ham, 2004). If, as Shavelson claims, a person’s views of self are created by experiences with and interpretations of their environment, then study from a variety of cultures was required to get a firm and clear conclusion.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
It is often considered that having a high level of self-esteem is critical. Due to conflicting findings in the research, the link between self-esteem and academic performance was not yet obvious. The majority of research have shown a link between self-esteem and academic performance, while the direction of the link is unclear (Reasoner, 2005). According to Campbell (2001) and other studies, male adolescents exhibit better self-esteem than female adolescents. Boys and girls might have different levels of self-esteem, which can contribute to differences in academic performance. There was also significant empirical 4 data demonstrating variations in self-concept and academic performance by sex and age, necessitating research into gender differences. There was a scarcity of research on teenage self-esteem and academic performance, particularly in Kenya. The importance of studying teenagers’ self-esteem levels was highlighted by the fact that this is a vital phase in development when self-esteem is moderately formed (Orth, 2011). This was in reference to the multiple psychological milestones that are encountered at this developmental period, such as job decision-making and personal identity formation. Students with poor self-esteem have a hard time dealing with challenges at school, whether they are academic or social. As a result, it was crucial to understand features of self-esteem that may influence treatments meant to boost self-esteem in critical developmental phases, such as young adulthood, in order to avert these psycho-social difficulties, particularly in relation to gender factors (Trzesniewski, 2010). Rudolph (2004) also discovered that such efforts may increase the psychological well-being of teenagers.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The primary goal of this research is to look at the link between self-esteem and academic performance among Nigerian secondary school students. The study’s specific goals were to:
i. Determine the factors that influence low and high self-esteem among secondary school students.
ii. Determine if gender differences in self-esteem affect secondary school pupils.
iii. Investigate the link between self-esteem and academic performance among secondary school pupils.
