Self-esteem and academic achievement: a comparative study of adolescent students in England and the United States

Abstract

Utilizing mixed methodology, this paper investigates the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement for young adolescents within two Western cultural contexts: the United States and England. Quantitative and qualitative data from 86 North American and 86 British adolescents were utilized to examine the links between self-esteem and academic achievement from the beginning to the end of their academic year during their 11th–12th year of age. For both samples, quantitative results demonstrated that fall self-esteem was related to multiple indicators of later year academic achievement. While country differences emerge by the end of the year, math appears to have a consistent relationship with self-esteem in both country contexts. Qualitative analyses found some support for British students’ self-perceptions as more accurately reflecting their academic experience than the students from the United States.

The Impact of Self-Esteem, Academic Self-Efficacy and Perceived Stress on Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study of Saudi Psychology Students

“…Self-esteem revealed a low but significant correlation with academic performance. This result is consistent with previous research (Booth & Gerard, 2011;Edwards et al, 2010;Lane, Lane, & Kyprianou, 2004;Pullmann & Allik, 2008;Saadat, Ghasemzadeh, & Soleimani, 2012). However, there appears to be gender differences, with studies often reporting higher levels of self-esteem in male participants than females (Hamaideh & Hamdan-Mansour, 2014;Huang, 2010;Saadat et al, 2012).…”

“It's like all of his attention is on you”: A mixed methods examination of attachment, supportive nonparental youth–adult relationships, and self‐esteem during adolescence

“…Low self‐esteem in adolescence has been linked to depression, anxiety, obesity, and problem behaviors including substance abuse and criminalized activity (McClure, Tanski, Kingsbury, Gerrard, & Sargent, ; Rosenberg & Owen, ; Trzesniewski et al., ). In contrast, a growing body of research suggests that high levels of self‐esteem are associated with well‐being including life satisfaction and better physical and mental health (for a review, see Orth & Robins, ), as well as stronger academic performance and achievement (Booth & Gerard, ).…”

Pediatric ophthalmology and childhood reading difficulties

“…Longer Scantron completion times may exacerbate the problem of slow reading when amblyopic children are administered standardized tests that are time-sensitive, limiting the child’s academic success. The child’s academic achievement, in turn, is a major contributor to the child’s developing self-perception, 24,25 which has been shown to be affected by amblyopia. 26 Positive self-perception has an important influence on well-being and quality of life.…”