Influence of Self-Esteem on Students’ Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examining the influence of self-esteem on students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. A sample size of 340 respondents was selected. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling technique were used to select the 301 form three student, 13 heads of curriculum, 13 deputy head-teachers and 13 heads of guidance and counseling. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Descriptive statistics (such as frequencies, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (such as Chi-square test) techniques were used to analyze data. The study found that self-esteem has no significant influence on students’ academic performance in secondary schools (Chi-square=13.92, df=8, sig(p-value)=0.084).This implies that low or high self-esteem does not influence student’s academic performance. The study recommends the need to build self-esteem among students. This will guarantee good academic performance in secondary schools. Moreover, the study recommends the need for school administration to focus on academic activities that are geared towards improving academic performance in secondary schools. It is anticipated that the findings of the current study will provide necessary information useful to the policy makers, academician, students, teachers, school administration and other stakeholders to enhance academic performance of students in secondary schools in Kenya.

KEY WORDS: Academic performance; Low grades; Quality grades; Self-esteem; Students

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-2-18