CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

Self-confidence is essential to one’s self. This is the doorway to which a student

can dare to face the crowd and get socialize with others. Having a strong will and self-
confidence, decision making power and originality, creativity and mental health is
directly related to self-esteem and sense of self-worth. The purpose of self-confidence is
to feel and imagine that people fostered in their mind over time about themselves. In
other words, self-confidence is self-assessment, this perception and evaluation can be
positive or negative and pleasant or unpleasant.

This can be referred as person’s global judgments of competency regarding

one’s self-worth. (Harter, 1988). This situation happens when students compare their
self-evaluation with actual performance on different tasks. According to Sirin and
Rogers-Sirin (2004), the development of self-esteem is considered as one of the most
important developmental processes of adolescence. Students are on the verge of
developing and challenging of their own age and personalities.

Moreover, self-confidence helps individuals to view themselves as active

capable people to promote changes through effort and set higher goals which cause
learning new things. Surprisingly, numerous studies have demonstrated that the best
way to enhance and improve student achievement is to increase their self-confidence
(Rube et. al, 2004)

In academic achievement, it is significant to measure student’s performance

whether it brings negative or positive impacts to them. According to Redenbach (1991),
self-confidence plays a vital role in academic achievement, social and personal
responsibility. It has been said that high self-confidence can lead to high academic
achievement. Those who have higher academic tend to feel more confident, in contrast
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to those who have lack of confidence in themselves achieve lesser. Students with
learning problem generally experience frustration and develop low self-esteem.
Sometimes they burdened with feelings of low self-confidence, exhibit helplessness in
learning, have difficulty in making decisions and show poor adjustment with peers.
Educators, psychologist and even other professionals agree that there is a need to
develop to every individual with a healthy high self-confidence.

Students with high self-confidence are usually good about themselves, able to
resolve their conflicts with other students and resistant to deal with problems and
failures. They are optimistic, positive self-concept and rational. These give them a
positive energy to achieve personal, professional goals and dreams. It might make them
more highly motivated and participative in class. It can also make them free from fear
and anxiety. The more confidence they have, the more they learn from any
circumstances or outcomes. In this way, students may replace their fear and anxiety
with greater confidence and be more active in class.

The achievements of the students are not only reflected in their school
adjustment but also in their overall performance behavior.

San Miguel National High School, located in San Miguel, San Remigio Cebu is
one of the public high schools where the respondent’s location which in positive sense,
brings convenience for the study. This study is conducted to determine if there is any
relationship between self-confidence and academic performance among grade 11
students.

Theoretical Background

This study was anchored to Canadian Psychologist Albert Bandura. He proposed

one of the most influential theories of learning and development the “Social Learning
Theory” (Bandura, 2007). Bandura stated that “most human behavior is learned
observationally through modeling: from observing others one form an idea of how new
behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a
guide for action”. The incorporated social aspect of this theory is known as
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“observational learning (or modeling)” as people have the ability to learn by simply
watching others (Social Learning Theory: Understanding Bandura’s Theory of
Learning). Found within the social learning theory lies three main concepts. First, as
previously mentioned is the notion that individuals have the ability to learn through
observation. Second, that mental states are a fundamental part of this process and
thirdly, the theory alleges that when something is learned this does not always follow by
a change in behavior. As external, environmental reinforcement was not the only
influence was also considered to play a part in forming the learned response of an
individual. As it perceived as a form of “internal reward”. It is evident that internal
thoughts and cognition assist to connect learning theories with cognitive developmental
theories. Bandura suggested that his concept surrounding the social learning theory
could be considered as a “Social Cognitive Theory”.

It is argued that there is a linear and reciprocal relationship between self-esteem

and academic performance (Kaya and Ogurlu 2015). The increase of self-esteem
increases academic achievement, and at the same time the increase of academic
achievement increases self-esteem (Baumeister et al. 2003). Students who can
establish a more rational cause and effect relationship about their achievements and
failures can better adapt to their academic life. Individuals with high self-esteem are
more motivated to be successful in an academic sense since they are able to shape
their future goals and expectations according to the abilities and interests they have.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of the study was to find out if there was any relation between the level
of self-confidence and academic performance among Grade XI students of San Miguel
National High School during the first semester of the academic year 2019-2020.

Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:

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1.) What is the level of self-confidence of Grade XI students?

2.) What is the academic performance of Grade XI students, under Amiable and
Benevolent?

3.) Is there any significant relationship between self-confidence and academic

performance of the students?

Statement of the Hypothesis

Based on the above-mentioned questions, the following hypothesis was

formulated.

Ho: There is no significant relationship between self-confidence and academic

performance of the students.

Ha: There is significant relationship between self-confidence and academic performance

of the students.

Significance of the Study

The study aimed to be beneficial to the following sectors of the educational

institution.

School Heads. This will them in formulating programs to boost the confidence of the
students.

Teachers. This will give them an idea on how to guide their students in boosting their
confidence.

Parents. They will motivate, support and encourage their children to perform well in
class.

Students. This will help them to be aware of the possible effects of self-confidence on
their academic performance.
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Future Researcher. This study will serve as a guide to future researchers who will
conduct related studies regarding the effects of self-confidence towards the academic
performance of the students.