Running head: SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 1

Self- Esteem and Academic Performance Among

First Year BS Psychology Students of

Cavite State University – Main Campus

Chezie Maan M. Nava, Ma Camille S. Campo

Rodena Rose Seroma, Vincent Apura, and Aljean Deguit

Cavite State University – Main Campus

Keywords: self-esteem, academic performance, psychology students

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Abstract

In the changing development of education system, students’ self-esteem are claimed to have a

significant relationship with their academic performance. Determining their relationship might

change and improve the educational setting and self-esteem of students, respectively. The study

was conducted to determine if there is a significant correlation between self-esteem and academic

performance among first year BS psychology students of Cavite State University – Main Campus.

The research design used was a descriptive-correlational design. Only thirty students were

randomly selected among the first year BS psychology students to participate using convenient

sampling. The data was gathered using survey forms that include the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

(RES) and a blank provided to fill with their grade point average (GPA) in the first semester. The

obtained information was encoded and analyzed through SPSS software using descriptive statistics

and Spearman’s rho correlation. Findings show that the selected students’ have an average level

of self-esteem and based on the student’s handbook, most of their grades are on the “very good”

range which can also be interpreted as an average level in academic performance. Furthermore,

results determined that there is a strong positive correlation between the selected students’ self-

esteem and academic performance.

SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 3

Self-Esteem and Academic Performance Among First Year BS Psychology Students of Cavite

State University – Main Campus

With the inevitable progress of society, standards on different aspects are also continuously

changing and developing. One of the most prominent ones is the academic standard. In order to

attain the academic standard, an individual must possess excellent and helpful skills and abilities:

self-confidence, defined as an individual’s belief and trust to himself or herself to wisely manage

time, have enough knowledge on the lesson, be capable of practicing critical thinking, and have a

high level of self-esteem. In this sense, one can say that the level of self-esteem indicates an

individual’s self-confidence. Hence, can it be argued that an individual’s academic performance is

truly related with his or her self-esteem?

There are a lot of factors that have been associated with academic achievement or

performance. Some of these are intelligence, personality traits, and self-esteem. This research

study will be mainly focusing on how an individual’s self-esteem level is truly related. Self-esteem

can be defined as an individual’s overall judgments of his or her capacity and self-worth. (Harter,

1988 as cited in Aryana, 2010). Generally, high self-esteem aids individuals to perceive themselves

capable of promoting changes and set higher goals that would eventually lead them into gaining

more knowledge. Furthermore, self-esteem has been related to academic achievement as a

motivational factor as social cognitive theorist have claimed the pervasive role of Self-Efficacy

Beliefs in Self-Regulated Learning (SESRL) on an individual’s academic motivation and

performance (Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara, & Pastorelli, 1996, 2001; Caprara et al., 2008, 2011;

Zimmerman & Schunk, 2004 as cited in Zuffianò et al., 2012). Many researchers have suggested

that to improve a student’s academic performance is to increase their self-esteem level (Rubie et
SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 4

al., 2004 as cited in Aryana, 2010). Study also showed that having a high self-esteem is significant

in academic achievement, social and personal pursuits (Redenback, 1991 as cited in Aryana, 2010).

With regards to the relationship of self-esteem and academic performance, one established

theoretical framework on this study is none other than Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory

which states that personal, behavioral, and environmental factors have a consistent impact and

effect on each other that refers to the triadic reciprocality. In the Social Cognitive Theory model,

the environmental factors are social influences like evaluations and directions from external or

outside sources. In regards to that, the behavioral factors were referred to achievements – learning,

encouragements, and performance or attainments. In relation to modern studies, self-esteem and

self-efficacy refer to personal variables; learning styles, pressure, and stress refer to environmental

variables; lastly, academic performance is the behavioral variable (Bandura, 1991 as cited in

Alyami et. al, 2017).

There are a lot of researches that documented the relationship of self-esteem and academic

performance among individuals. In a study done by Aryana (2010), there was a positive

relationship between the self-esteem and academic performance (p<0.01). Thus, confirming that

the students’ self-esteem is a determinant in their academic performance. In addition, it is said that

if students establish a higher levels self-esteem, they will have a higher academic performance.

This positive finding was supported by Walter (2003) that claimed that a positive self-esteem is

related to academic achievement. The study was also backed up by findings of Wiggins and Schatz

(2004) cited by Aryana (2010) discovered that increase in self-esteem is positively related to the

increase in academic performance. Their study showed that students’ GPAs or grade point

averages increased when they got higher points on the self-esteem questionnaire. Similarly, other

studies have also pointed out the association of self-esteem to a higher academic achievement
SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 5

(positive correlation range from r= .10 to .30). However, some studies also found the contribution

of academic performance to an individual’s self-esteem (Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, & Vohs,

2003 as cited in Di Guinta et al., 2013). This indicates that the direction of causality is possibly

bidirectional (Di Guinta et al., 2013).

A lot of researchers have already documented and showed the positive relationship of self-

esteem and academic performance among individuals, more specifically, students. However, in

the Philippine context, there are little research done to investigate its correlation hence this study

will be focusing on determining if there is a significant relationship between self-esteem and

academic performance among first year BS psychology students of Cavite State University – Main

Campus. Determining the relation between self-esteem and academic performance would assess

the efforts need to be done in order so increase student’s self-esteem and academic performance.

Method

Participants

The participants included in the research study are the 30 randomly selected first year BS

Psychology students from the College of Arts and Sciences of Cavite State University – Main

Campus. The potential respondents would be selected through the use of Convenient sampling –

depending on the availability of participants.

Measures

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is adapted to measure the self-esteem level of the 30

randomly selected psychology students. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RES) is a 10-point Likert

scale in which the items were answered on a four point scale ranging from strongly agree to

strongly disagree. The RES is composed of a 10-item questions that deal with your general feelings
SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 6

about yourself. The participants were asked to check SA, if you strongly agree; A, if you agree; D,

if you disagree; and lastly, SD, if you strongly disagree with the statement. The scoring for 1, 3, 4,

7, and 10 would be different for items 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9. For items 1, 3, 4, 7, and 10 --- scoring

would be SA=3, A=2, D=1, and SD=0. On the other hand, for items 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 --- scoring

would be SA=0, A=1, D=2, and SD=2. The scores were computed on SPSS for the grand total.

Scores considered to be average range between 15-25; scores less than 15 indicate a low self-

esteem, and scores higher than 25 equate to a high self-esteem . To test the internal consistency of

the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RES), the reliability test on SPSS was used where the cronbach

alpha coefficient for the 10-item test is 0.853 that suggests that the items have a relatively high

internal consistency, given that the acceptable alpha coefficient is 0.70 or higher in social sciences

researches.

In order to measure the academic performance, an additional blank would be provided for

the students to fill in with their GPA in the first semester. The university handbook states that GPA

ranging from 1.00-1.25 is “excellent”, 1.26-1.75 is “very good”, and 1.76-2.25 is “good”.

Procedure

On the data gathering, the participants will be given the survey forms that include the

informed consent and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RES) with the added blank for their first

semester GPA. The selected 30 students would be briefly informed about the research study and

notified that the information they would disclose will remain confidential and will not be used to

any other purposes except for research.

Guidelines and instructions to for the form and scale were explained by the researchers for

the participants to comprehend clearly. Each participant were given approximately 3-5 minutes to
SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 7

complete the form and Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale. After the completion of the form and scale,

each participant were debriefed and thanked for their effort and participation.

Results

This research study used a descriptive-correlational research design to describe the first

year BS psychology students’ level of self-esteem and academic performance. The self-esteem and

academic performance level were computed through the mean and standard deviation, both were

correlated by using Spearman Rank-order Correlation to determine if the variables have a

significant correlation.

Table. 1 Self-esteem and academic performance level as determined by the mean and

standard deviation (N=30)

Variables First Year BS Psychology Students

Mean Standard Dev. Interpretation

Self-esteem 1.83 0.46 Average

Academic 1.83 0.38 Very good

Performance

Table 1 above illustrates the descriptive statistics of self-esteem and academic performance

level among first year BS psychology students of Cavite State University – Main Campus. The

obtained data shows that the self-esteem level falls on average among first year BS psychology

students (x̄ = 1.83, SD = 0.46). In addition, it shows that most students have an average or “very

good” academic performance level (x̄ = 1.83, SD = 0.38), with regards to the Cavite State

University student’s handbook.

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Table 2 Spearman rank-order correlation of variables

Paired Variables R Significance Interpretation

Self-esteem and Academic 0.639 0.000 Strong positive

Performance relationship

Table 2 shows that Spearman rank-order correlation test was used to assess if there is a

significant relationship between the two variables – self-esteem and academic performance of first

year BS psychology students of Cavite State University – Main Campus. Results show that self-

esteem and academic performance level of selected 30 first year BS psychology students have a

strong positive relationship (r(30) = .639, p = .000); the p value also indicates that the data obtained

is statistically significant for it is less than the significance level which is 0.01.

Discussion

The research study conducted showed that the self-esteem and academic performance level

among the selected first year BS psychology students of Cavite State University – Main Campus

are both on the average level. These results indicate that the sample of 30 got average scores on

the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RES) and “very good” grade point averages (GPA) on their first

semester. The average level of self-esteem among the selected students shows that they are able to

perceive themselves as individuals who are capable in developing changes and setting higher goals

that will give way for them to learn new things.

The findings also revealed that the self-esteem and academic performance of selected first

year BS psychology students have a strong positive correlation. This result is consistent with the

study done by Aryana (2010), Walter (2005), and Wiggins and Schatz, (2004) in which all got a
SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 9

positive and meaningful relationship between the self-esteem and academic achievement. The

Spearman rank-order correlation also determined that the result is statistically significant (p <

0.01). Furthermore, findings also suggest that the higher a student’s self-esteem is, the higher their

academic performance or grade point average, as also stated in a study done by Aryana (2010).

The gaps and limitations that are notable in this study – first, the respondents and the

sample size. The participants selected for this study are limited to first year BS psychology students

and only 30 were randomly chosen to answer the survey forms. These gaps might have affected

the relationship and statistical significance of the variables and results, respectively. It is suggested

to increase the sample size in further studies. Lastly, is the absence of local or Philippine context

based studies about the relationship of self-esteem and academic performance to support the

research study, hence all cited resources are from foreign researchers. It is highly advised to scan

scholar sites and local libraries for local-based researches.

With regards to the findings that show the positive relationship of self-esteem and academic

performance, this study suggests that it is important to increase students’ self-esteem level because

their perception of their capacities and worth are correlated with their academic achievement. This

demonstrates that the higher the self-esteem is, the higher the academic performance of students.

Furthermore, assessment of self-esteem level gives importance to students’ mental health because

it prioritize how they view their capacities and self-worth. The self-esteem assessment can be done

through counseling. This kind of setting can attest to the numerous studies conducted that suggest

that the best way to increase the academic performance is to establish a higher self-esteem (Rubie

et al., 004 as cited by Aryana, 2010).

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Aryana, M. (2010). Relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement

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Di Giunta, L., Alessandri, G., Gerbino, M., Kanacri, P. L., Zuffiano, A., & Caprara, G. V.

(2013). The determinants of scholastic achievement: The contribution of personality traits, self-

esteem, and academic self-efficacy. Learning and individual Differences, 27, 102-108.

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