title: Relationship of adolescent self-esteem to selected academic variables.
abstract: This study investigated whether self-esteem precedes various academic behaviors and beliefs among 593 high school students (63.7% female, 60.9% African American). Measures of home and school self-esteem, grade point average, perceived academic standing and progress, and educational plans were collected by survey and archival review of grade and attendance records at the beginning (pre-test) and end of the school year (post-test). Self-esteem and academic variables differed by gender, race, and guardianship. Self-esteem related significantly to academics and absenteeism. Results suggest selected academic variables predict self-esteem even when the effects of gender, race, and guardianship are removed and pretest self-esteem scores are controlled. In conclusion, student academic performance influences subsequent academic and home self-esteem. Creation of positive academic experiences for youth may be a critical activity, since experts contend that low self-esteem is associated with subsequent behavioral problems. The markedly lower self-esteem of Native American and Hispanic youth warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Filozof
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Albertin
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Steme
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McDermott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept