The relationship between self-esteem and undergraduates’ academic performance

Abstract

This dissertation presents a quantitative study where 242 undergraduates completed a questionnaire that explored the relationship between self-esteem and academic performance (AP). Research about what influences AP is constantly being conducted. This study explores what factors influence one’s academic self-concept and self-esteem which in turn have an impact on academic satisfaction. Four overlying concepts are analysed in this study; gender, course features, parent/guardian(s) and peer influence, and the struggle of balancing and coping with academic work. The findings indicate that the main factors that have an effect are gender, class size, lecturer-student relationship, parent/guardian(s) academic background, child’s upbringing, peer relationships, group work and extracurricular activities. All these have p-values that do not exceed the 0.05 level of significance. This confirms that there is an association between such concepts. The results of the study are analysed and compared to existing literature and theories. From the data collated, it was concluded that better self-esteem boosting strategies should be suggested by the University and student integration should be implemented more within the educational system.