Self-esteem among students of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah University and its relationship to their academic achievement

Abstract

The issue of academic achievement has become a central concern for many societies, as educational programs are designed for it and a series of scientific studies are conducted around it. Seminars and conferences are held with the aim of raising the academic achievement level of university students. The latter represents in every nation its future hope and its human capital and its tool for advancing aspects of its life in all fields. Therefore, we see the advanced nations focusing on providing care and attention to this elite category through the significant efforts they make to care for their students academically and to address the various obstacles, difficulties, and conflicts that accompany their higher education journey. The problem of this research revolves around a fundamental concept that reflects the strengths and weaknesses in the student's personality, which plays a central role in raising or lowering his academic achievement level. It is related to self-esteem, as through this concept, the student perceives himself and is able to create a better insight into his thoughts and actions and be more discerning about the causes of his behaviors. Does a student's self-esteem, whether positive or negative, have an impact on his academic achievement level? Is there a correlational relationship between aspects of self-esteem (behavioral, cognitive, and emotional symptoms) and academic achievement in students? Are there differences in self-esteem and academic achievement among students in light of the following variables: age, gender, social and economic status of the student, and academic specialization? In order to investigate the relationship between these two variables, we relied on a sample consisting of 1100 male and female students from various faculties at Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah University in Fez. In our field research, we used a questionnaire enhanced with the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory test and utilized the SPSS program for statistical data processing. After presenting, discussing, and analyzing the data, we found that the study sample does not possess above-average positive levels on the Coopersmith scale. It also revealed statistically significant differences in self-esteem levels according to the studied specialization. Keywords: Self-esteem, academic achievement, university students.