Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Academic Achievement in English Among Higher Secondary Students

Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies,
Online ISSN 2278-8808, SJIF 2018 = 6.371, www.srjis.com

PEER REVIEWED & REFERRED JOURNAL, MAY-JUNE, 2019, VOL- 6/51
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

IN ENGLISH AMONG HIGHER SECONDARY STUDENTS
Ms. P. Sangeetha
Assistant Professor of English Education, N.K.T. National College of Education for Women,
Chennai.
Abstract
The main purpose of the paper is to examine the relationship between self-esteem and academic
achievement in English of higher secondary students. A total sample of 300higher secondary Plus
One students (142boys and 158 girls) were randomly selected for the study. Normative survey
method was employed for data collection. The Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem scale was used to collect the
data. Students’ achievement marks were collected from the mark register. Three research questions
were framed to guide this study. Results revealed that there is a significant and positive relationship
between self-esteem and academic achievement in English. Also, there is significant difference
between boys and girls in self-esteem and achievement in English where girls excelled boys. Findings
showed that private school students were high in self-esteem and achievement in English when
compared to government school students.
Keywords: Self-Esteem, Academic Achievement in English, Higher Secondary Students, Government
and Private Schools
Scholarly Research Journal's is licensed Based on a work at www.srjis.com
1. Introduction
The term self-esteem comes from a Greek word meaning "reverence for self." The "self"
part of self-esteem pertains to the values, beliefs and attitudes that we hold about ourselves.
The "esteem" part of self-esteem describes the value and worth that one gives oneself.
Simplistically, self-esteem is the acceptance of ourselves for who and what we are at any
given time in our lives.
Self-esteemis the complication of feelings about ourselves that guides our behaviour,
influences our attitudes, and drives our motivation. Self-esteem can be described as a value
that processes information within self-imagination of individual and it is caused by an
individual‟s beliefs about all attributes and characteristics within him or her.
According to the definition of Branden (1969), there are three key components of self-
esteem:
 Self-esteem is an essential human need that is vital for survival and a normal
healthy development.
Copyright © 2017, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies

Ms. P. Sangeetha
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 Self-esteem arises automatically from within based on a person's beliefs and

consciousness.
 Self-esteem occurs in conjunction with a person's thoughts, behaviours, feelings,
and actions.
Factors that can influence Self-Esteem
There are different factors that can influence self-esteem. Genetic factors that help shape
overall personality can play a role, but it is often our experiences that form the basis for
overall self-esteem. Those who consistently receive overly critical or negative assessments
from caregivers, family members, and friends, for example, will likely experience problems
with low self-esteem.
Student confidence is vital to his or her success. The amount of student self-confidence a
child possesses will affect every aspect of his or her educational goals. One of the best ways
to improve confidence is to engage students in various self-esteem activities at school. By
boosting self-esteem in students, children who may come from less than desirable home
settings can learn skills that foster a sense of community and respect. Students‟ self-esteem is
directly related to their school performance. By ensuring that student self-esteem is healthy,
the environment for learning becomes one where education and learning thrives. Self-esteem
activities for students are an excellent way to help boost a child‟s confidence and increase
learning. Many self-esteem activities for students can be used including those that are used in
an individual as well as classroom setting.
Bahareh et al. (2011) investigated the relationship between self-esteem, age and
gender on one hand and speaking skills on the other hand and found significant relationship
between self-esteem and speaking skill with fluency exerting the most influence. Concerning
the relationship between gender and speaking skills, no statistically significant association
was found. James et al. (2006) in their study of the relationship between communication
apprehension and self-esteem reported that from two college student samples indicate highly
consistent relationship across age group and occupational types. Aryana (2010) highlighted
the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement among pre-university
students and suggested that high self-esteem is an important factor and strengthen the
prediction of academic achievement in students. Arshad (2015) revealed significant and
positive relationship between self-esteem and academic performance of university students.
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between self-esteem and
academic achievement in English amonghigher secondarystudents.
Ms. P. Sangeetha
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2. Statement of the Problem

The problem of this study is to determine the relationship between students‟self-esteem
and academic achievement in English.
3. Research Questions
The following research questions have been formulated to guide this study.
 Is there any significant relationship between students‟self-esteem and
achievement in English?
 Is there any significant difference between boys and girls in self-esteem and
achievement in English?
 Is there any significant difference between Government and Private school
students in self-esteem and achievement in English?
4. Methodology
The subjects for the study were drawn from selected higher secondary schools within
Chennai of Tamil Nadu State. Stratified random sampling was used in the selection of the
schools. The sample comprised of students from Government and Private schools. In all, a
total of 300higher secondary Plus One students (142boys and 158 girls) were randomly
selected for the study. The target population for this study were the students in Plus One
higher secondary. This category of students were selected on the assumption that they were
matured enough to form independent opinion about self-esteem, their confidence towards the
subject and their achievement.
5. Instrumentation
The investigator required an assessment of level of self-esteem of higher secondary
students. The Rosenberg‟s Self-Esteem was used to collect data from the students. It is a 10-
item scale that measures global self-worth by measuring both positive andnegative feelings
about the self. The scale is believed to be uni-dimensional. All items areanswered using a 4-
point Likert scale format ranging from strongly agree to stronglydisagree.Items 2, 5, 6, 8, 9
are reverse scored. Give “Strongly Disagree” 1 point, “Disagree” 2 points,“Agree” 3 points,
and “Strongly Agree” 4 points. Sum scores for all ten items. Keep scoreson a continuous
scale. Higher scores indicate higher self-esteem. The achievement scores in English were
collected from the mark register.
The Cronbach‟s alpha coefficientvalue of the self-esteem scale is 0.84. On the basis of
the magnitude of these indices the instrument were found to be adequate for testing purposes
and were subsequently group administered by the investigator. With the assistance of the
Ms. P. Sangeetha
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class teachers, the completed questionnaireswere collected from the subjects and scored
accordingly.
6. Operational Definition
a. Self-Esteem
In the present study, self-esteem is how one value himself; it is how we perceive
one‟s value to the world and how valuable one think he/she to others. Self-esteem
affects our trust in others, our relationships, our work – nearly every part of our
lives.
b. Academic Achievement in English
Student achievement measures the amount of academic content a student
learns in a determined amount of time. In this study, student‟s achievement in English
refers to the marks scored by the student in English in the Annual Examination.
7. Data Analysis
Data from the study were subjected to appropriate statistical analysis to be able to
draw up inferences from it. The t-test and Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient
were used for data analyses.
8. Answers to Research Questions
Research Question 1: Is there any significant relationship between students‟self-
esteem and achievement in English?
Table 1 Showing Pearson’s Product Moment correlation co-efficient between Self-
Esteem and Academic Achievement in English
Self-Esteem Academic
Achievement in
Variables English
Self-Esteem - 0.428**
From the above table, it is inferred that there exists significant and positive
relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement in English at 0.01 level.
Research Question 2: Is there any significant difference between boys and girls in
self-esteem and achievement in English?

Ms. P. Sangeetha
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Table 2 Showing significant mean difference between boys and girls in Self-esteem and
Academic Achievement in English
Gender
Variables
Boys (N=142) Girls (N=158) t value P value
Mean S.D Mean S.D
Self- Esteem 14.12 2.701 16.12 2.369 3.761 <0.001**
Academic
Achievement 13.00 5.238 15.62 6.320 3.872 <0.001**
in English
Note: ** Significant at 0.01 level
It is inferred from the above table that there is significant difference between boys and
girls in self-esteem and achievement in English at 0.01 level. From the mean scores, it is
observed that girls (16.12) have high self-esteem and high scores in Mathematics (15.62) than
boys (14.12, 13.00). This may be due to the fact that girls tend to put more effort in
achieving their goals and hardworking than boys. Also, they put the blame for failure on
themselves like lack of effort and hard work whereas boys may project some other reason for
their failure.
Research Question 3:Is there any significant difference between Government and Private
school students in self-esteem and achievement in English?
Table 3 Showing significant mean difference between students studying in Government
and Private schools in Self-Esteem and Academic Achievement in English
Variables Type of School
Government Private (N=147) t value P value

(N=153)
Mean S.D Mean S.D
Self-Esteem 14.03 2.682 16.03 2.948 5.288 <0.001**
Academic
Achievement 12.98 6.313 17.02 5.693 7.537 <0.001**
in English
Note : ** Significant at 0.01 level
It is inferred from the above table that there exists significant difference between Government
and Private school students in self-esteem and achievement in English at 0.01 level. From
the mean scores, it is observed that Private school students (16.03) have high and high
achievement scores (17.02) than Government school students (14.03, 12.98). This may be
due to the fact that Private schools are functioning under the Management and they provide
necessary infrastructural facilities as well as well qualified staff to gain a good repetition in

Ms. P. Sangeetha
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the society and also conduct remedial teaching sessions for the betterment of students when
compared to Government schools.
9. Educational Implications
From the above findings, it is concluded that self-esteem plays a crucial role in
enhancing achievement in English. Hence, it becomes imperative to foster self-esteem
among students in the following ways.
 Analyze one‟s strengths and weaknesses. One should try to get a supportive friend or
relative to help with these lists, as people with depression are not usually in the most
objective frame of mind.
 One should think positively about themselves. Identify and challenge any negative
thoughts about oneself such as „I am loser‟, „I never do anything right‟, or „No one
really likes me‟.
 Pay special attention to our personal hygiene.
 One should wear clean clothes that make us to feel good.
 Eat good food as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
 Regular exercise should develop one‟s self-esteem.
 Most importantly, one should reduce the stress level.
 Set for ourselves a challenge that one can realistically complete.
 Be nice to people, and do nice things for them.
 Spend more time with those hold us near and dear. At the same time, try to enlarge
our social circle by making an effort to meet and befriend people.
 Avoid people and places that treat us badly or make us feel bad about ourselves. This
could mean being more assertive.
10. Conclusion
Motivation and interest are the most essential aspects determining success in learning
the English language and which can also help in having positive attitude towards English.
Teachers should inculcate intrinsic motivation among the students to enhance interest in the
subject. Grammar should be taught using real examples so as to make them confident in
learning the language. Achievement in English could be improved by giving group activities
and henceforth their self-esteem will be raised and in turn be able to achieve better in
English.When they work in groups, communicative ability would also be improved among
students. Thus, to fulfil the dream of Late Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, to make our country

Ms. P. Sangeetha
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proud, each and every citizen should be well versed in English, our universal language so as
to compete with other developed countries.
References:
Mohammad Aryana (2010). Relationship between Self-esteem and Academic Achievement Amongst
Pre-University Students. Journal of Applied Sciences, 10, 2474-2477.
Arshad, M., Haider Zaidi, S.M., & Mahmood, K. (2015). Self-Esteem & Academic Performance
among University Students. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(1), 156-162. Retrieved
from files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1083788.pdf
Bhagat, P. (2016). Relationship between Self-esteem and Academic Achievement of Secondary School
Students. International Journal of Innovative Research & Development, 5(7), 211-216.
James, C.M., Richmond, V.P., Daly, J.A. & Falcion, R.L. (1977). Studies of the Relationship between
Communication Apprehension and Self‐ Esteem, 3(3), 269-277.
Bhardwaj, A. & Agrawal, G., (2013). Gender Difference in Pre-Adolescents’ Self-Esteem.
International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research, 2(8), 114-119.
Nupur. C. & Mahapatro, M. (2016). Gender Differences in Self-Esteem among Young Adults of
Raipur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Austin Journal of Women’s Health, 3(1), 1-4.
Priya, V. & Muralidharan, K., (2014). A study on the Self-esteem of Adolescent College students.
Indian Journal of Applied Research, 4(6), 494-496.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press.

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Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies,

Online ISSN 2278-8808, SJIF 2018 = 6.371, www.srjis.com

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Scholarly Research Journal's is licensed Based on a work at www.srjis.com

Copyright © 2017, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies

 Self-esteem arises automatically from within based on a person's beliefs and

2. Statement of the Problem

Copyright © 2017, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies

Government Private (N=147) t value P value

Copyright © 2017, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies

Copyright © 2017, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies

Copyright © 2017, Scholarly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies

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