CHAPTER ONE

1.1   Background to the study

Self-esteem is a fundamental component of healthy development from childhood through adulthood. It can generally be defined as an individual’s overall sense of self-worth. That is, how good they feel about themselves (Rosenberg, 1965). Self-esteem is the value an individual places on themselves. It can also mean accepting one’s weaknesses as well as strengths, and that one feels that they deserve respect from others. With self-esteem, one learns to build on strengths and to compensate for weaknesses. A positive Self-esteem is crucial in maintaining academic performance amongst students Mutuma (2007). Self-esteem is part of one’s self-concept. That is, one’s knowledge and beliefs about their personal attributes (Mann et Al, 2004). A person’s self-esteem can be perceived as negative or positive depending on how one evaluates their worth (Dando, 2005). The value that one attaches to self leads to the level of self-esteem that they have. As a result, this self-esteem can influence one’s performance of tasks in various situations in life.

According to Arshad, Zaidi, and Mahmood (2015), self-esteem is defined as an individual’s beliefs about their worth and value. It also encompasses the feelings that people experience regarding their sense of unworthiness or worthiness. Arshad, Zaidi, and Mahmood (2015) state that self-esteem is important considering that it plays an influential role in people’s decisions and choices. Self-esteem serves as a motivator regarding one’s decision to explore their full potential. Individuals with high self-esteem are those that are motivated to fulfill their aspirations and goals (Arshad, Zaidi, & Mahmood, 2015). These individuals also take care of themselves to ensure that they are in a better position to fulfill these aspirations and goals. On the other hand, people with lower self-esteem struggle with fulfilling their goals because they consider themselves unworthy of happy outcomes or unable to achieve the goals (Arshad, Zaidi, & Mahmood, 2015). In most cases, people with lower self-esteem let opportunities in their lives slide due to their lack of persistence and resilience. Notably, both people with high self-esteem and those with low self-esteem can have the same goals; however, the latter will be less motivated to pursue these goals because of a lack of belief in their ability.

For Priyadharshini and Relton (2014), low self-esteem among individuals can negatively affect their mental wellbeing, which will then lead to low productivity. Commonly, students who have low self-esteem avoid putting more effort into their academic work because of the impact of this on their mental wellbeing. These students do not believe in their abilities to be successful in academics.

According to Rosli et al. (2012), self-esteem is one’s overall opinion of themselves, which is the way one feels about their limitations and abilities. When a person has high self-esteem, they feel good about themselves and consider themselves to deserve the respect of other people. However, when one has low self-esteem, they place little value on their capability, opinions, and ideas. Such individuals constantly worry that they are not good enough.

Hagen et al. (2020) examine the factors that shape and influence one’s self-esteem. According to them, self-esteem starts forming during early childhood, and some of the common factors that shape it includes a person’s thoughts and perceptions, reactions of others to them, a person’s experiences at home, work, and school; illnesses, injury, or disability; age; and a person’s role and status in society. Hagen et al. (2020) stress the significant role that relationships play in determining a person’s self-esteem. Relationships with people close to a person, such as siblings, parents, teachers, peers, and other relevant contacts play a significant role in a person’s self-esteem. Many beliefs that one has regarding themselves are based on others’ opinions. If an individual has strong relationships and they receive generally positive feedback, they are highly likely to consider themselves worthwhile, which translates to high self-esteem. People that receive negative feedback and face criticism on numerous occasions are likely to struggle with low self-esteem (Hagen et al., 2020). Therefore, relationships are important in determining people’s self-esteem.

According to Khalode (2009), self-esteem education somehow determines the level of prosperity, welfare and security of people. It is the cornerstone of economic, social development and a principle means of improving the welfare of individuals. In his study on the influence of self-esteem on the study habits of students in America, Miller (2002) points out that, university students need to accept and value themselves to do well in their academic work.

 KIE (2008), defines academic performance as all activities academic In nature including examinations. In his study on the factors influencing students’ academic performance in New York, James (2004) points out that academic performance is the use of one’s aptitude in study and making accomplishments in terms transfer of knowledge, communication skills, negotiation skills and good grades and marks in examinations. Also in his study on the challenges facing university students in Tanzania, Robert (2008) emphasizes that provision of education in East Africa has been faced with numerous challenges. For instance, poor academic performance among learners.

Greeno (2001) notes that self-esteem is always attributed to best performances in tasks and at work place. Self-value may strengthen the learnes’ relationship with the facilitator. This implies that the students may benefit more from the teacher due to the free atmosphere.it also reduces problems like tuancy, absenteeism, drug and substance abuse and teenage pregnancies that are known to cause poor performance. Character building emanate from self-esteem. Students with self-esteem are able to manage and use their leisure time well. Moreover they are able to choose good and reliable friends who can help in boosting their academic performance, ( K.I.E, 2008).

Mugambi (2010), in his study found that students with positive self-esteem can perform well academically if the right environment is presented. However, majority of these studies centered on the cognitive aspects of the learner and instructions and methods used by the teachers, ignoring the affective domain of the learner. Research has shown that enhancing the self-esteem of students is a critical goal and is a means of facilitating attachment of desirable outcomes in education such as academic efforts and persistence in tasks. There is the need therefore to understand the influence of students’ self-esteem on academic performance.

1.2  Statement of the Research Problem:

Most research focuses on academic performance being influenced by factors such as social relationship, academic experiences, family Dynamics, cultural background and motivations. Some research consider self-esteem as a factor influencing academic performance. Despite the recognition of self-esteem as a potential factor influencing academic performance, there is a lack of comprehensive research exploring the specific nature and extent of this relationship among university students. The existing literature primarily focuses on self-esteem and academic performance separately, without adequately investigating how self-esteem influences academic outcomes in the university context. Therefore, this research problem seeks to explore the relationship between self-esteem and academic performance among university students by examining the potential mechanisms and factors involved. It aims to investigate whether self-esteem has a direct impact on academic performance or whether it operates indirectly through mediating variables such as motivation, self-efficacy, or psychological well-being. Additionally, the research problem intends to identify any potential moderating variables that may influence the strength or direction of the relationship between self-esteem and academic performance.

1.3 Main Objective

To examine the influence of self-esteem on the academic performance of university students based on motivation, grades, study habits and overall academic performance.

1.3.1 Specific Objectives

To describe ways in which  self-esteem influences academic performance of University students across different deciplines

To explore how  self-esteem influences the ability of university students to handle academic stress and challenges

To examine how factors such as gender, socioeconomic status and cultural background influence the relationship between self-esteem and academic performance.

1.4 Research Questions

How does self-esteem influence the academic performance of university students across different deciplines?

How does self esteem influence the ability of university students to handle academic stress and challenges?

 Does the influence of self esteem on academic performance vary among students from different socioeconomic status and cultural backgrounds?