Since Howard Gardner released his theory of multiple intelligences in 1993 and Daniel Goleman published his book “Emotional Intelligence” in 1995, a new paradigm has opened up in research that seeks to study what factors are actually related to the level of academic performance.

Leaving aside the traditional conception of the beginning of the 20th century about the value of IQ as the only predictor of intelligence in school children, let us analyze what science exposes about the link between the nature of self-concept and school results.

Academic performance: what is it and how is it measured?

Academic performance is understood as the result of the student’s capacity for response and internalised learning derived from the confluence of diverse factors , as deduced from the majority of constructs in the field of psychology or psychopedagogy.

Among the internal factors are motivation, the student’s aptitudes or self-concept and, among those external to the individual, the environment, the relationships established between the different contexts and the interpersonal relationships inscribed in each of them. In addition, other aspects such as the quality of the teacher, the educational programme, the methodology used in a given school, etc., can also be decisive in the learning acquired by the students.

How do you define the concept of academic performance?

The definitions provided by the authors of this field are diverse, but there seems to be a consensus in qualifying performance as a measure of obtaining knowledge and of knowledge assimilated by the student , which is why it becomes the final objective of education.

For example, authors García and Palacios give a double characterization to the concept of academic performance. Thus, from a static viewpoint, it refers to the product or result of the learning obtained by the student, while from a dynamic viewpoint, performance is understood as the process of internalizing such learning. On the other hand, other contributions suggest that performance is a subjective phenomenon subject to external assessment and is ascribed to goals of an ethical and moral nature in accordance with the social system established at a particular historical moment.

Components of academic performance

1.The self-concept

Self-concept can be defined as the set of ideas, thoughts and perceptions that the individual has of himself . Therefore, the self-concept should not be confused with the “I” or with “the self” in its entirety; it is only a part of it.

Self-concept and self-esteem are not the same

On the other hand, a distinction must also be made between self-concept and self-esteem, since the latter also becomes a component of the former. Self-esteem is characterized by its subjective and evaluative connotation of self-concept and is shown through behavioral manifestations congruent with the values and principles of each person.

Otherwise, a more recent meaning such as that of Papalia and Wendkos, contemplates the link between the individual and society, understanding self-concept as a construct based on the relations that each subject maintains with his environment and the social beings that the latter includes.

Self-concept from a cognitive dimension

Deutsh and Krauss, on the other hand, contribute a meaning of system of cognitive organization to the self-concept, which is in charge of ordering the individual with respect to the relations with his interpersonal and social environment . Finally, Rogers differentiates three aspects of the self: the evaluative (self-esteem), the dynamic (or force that motivates the coherent maintenance of the established self-concept) and the organizational (oriented to hierarchically or concentrically ordering the multiple descriptions of the elements with which the subject interacts and also those corresponding to his individual self).

Thus, it seems to be accepted that there are several external factors that can determine the nature of each individual’s self-concept: interpersonal relationships, the subject’s biological characteristics, parental educational and learning experiences in the early childhood stage, the influence of the social and cultural system, etc.

Factors for developing a good self-concept

The contributions of Clemes and Bean indicate the following factors as being fundamental for the development of self-esteem and self-concept :

  • The attachment or manifest feeling of belonging to the family system in which one observes demonstrations of concern for the well-being of the other, affection, interest, understanding and consideration, etc.
  • The uniqueness related to the feeling of being a special, unique and unrepeatable individual.
  • Power refers to the ability to achieve one’s established goals satisfactorily and successfully, as well as an understanding of the factors that have intervened otherwise. This will enable learning for future experiences and emotional self-control in adverse and/or unexpected situations.
  • A set of guidelines that establish a stable, safe and coherent framework of behaviour, with positive, encouraging models in the promotion of the appropriate aspects and who know how to reason the causes that motivate the modifications of this framework of behaviour.

Correlation between academic performance and self-concept

The research carried out and presented in the text leads to the following conclusions regarding the relationship between self-concept and academic performance: the correlation between both elements is significantly positive , although three types of relationship between both concepts can be differentiated.

  • The first possibility contemplates that performance determines self-concept, since the assessment made by the significant people closest to the student greatly influences how the student perceives himself in his role as a student.
  • Secondly, it can be understood that it is the levels of self-concept that determine academic performance in the sense that the student will choose to maintain the type of self-concept qualitatively and quantitatively by adapting his or her performance to it, for example in terms of the difficulty of the tasks and the effort invested in them.
  • Finally, self-concept and academic performance can maintain a two-way relationship of mutual influence, as proposed by Marsh, where a modification in some component leads to a change in the whole system to reach a state of equilibrium.

The role of family education

As indicated above, the type of family system and the dynamics established on educational guidelines and values transmitted from parents to children and between siblings become a fundamental and determining aspect in the construction of the child’s self-concept. As reference figures, parents should dedicate most of their efforts to teaching adequate and adaptive values such as responsibility, autonomous capacity in decision-making and problem-solving, the sense of invested effort, tenacity and work for the achievement of goals, as a priority.

Secondly, it is very relevant that parents are more oriented to offer recognition and positive reinforcement in the face of the appropriate behavioural actions carried out by the children, to the detriment of focusing on the criticism of those aspects that are more negative or susceptible to improvement; positive reinforcement has a greater power than punishment or nagative reinforcement with regard to the acquisition of behavioural learning. This second point is decisive in the type of attachment established between parents and children, since the application of this methodology facilitates a deeper emotional bond between both parties.

The third element lies in the promotion of social relations with peers (friendships) and other persons in the interpersonal environment, as well as the structuring and balance in the use of leisure time so that it is enriching (based on the variety of types of activities) and satisfactory in itself; being understood as an end rather than a means. In this aspect parents have a limited margin of manoeuvre since the choice of the group of equals should start with the child. Even so, it is true that the type of environment in which the child interacts and develops is more subject to more conscious choices and preferences, so that parents can take a relative share in selecting one type of context over others.

As a last important factor, must be taken into account the knowledge and establishment of a series of effective study guidelines that facilitate the academic performance of the student . Although it seems more frequent than expected that the decrease or alteration of school results is derived from other factors than this (as for example all those commented on in previous lines), the fact that the parents can transmit and enforce certain rules in the child’s study habits is of vital importance in obtaining adequate qualifications (establishment of a fixed study schedule, the creation of an adequate working environment at home, the promotion of active autonomy in the solution of their school tasks, reinforcement of the achievements made, having the support of the teaching team, being consistent in the indications transmitted, etc.).

By way of conclusion

The previous lines have shown a new conception in reference to the aspects that determine the achievement of good results at school level. The research has incorporated other elements different from the intellectual capacity extracted from the IQ as possible predictors of academic performance.

Thus, although there is no clear consensus on the exact relationship between students’ self-concept and their qualifications (which phenomenon causes the other), it seems clear that the link between both constructs has been validated by different authors who are experts in the field . The family, as the main primary socializing agent in childhood, plays a very important role in the formation and development of the image that the child elaborates about himself.

In this way, priority should be given to the application of educational guidelines that facilitate the achievement of this goal, such as those that have been set out throughout this text.

Bibliographic references:

  • Gimeno Sacristán, J. (1977). Self-concept, sociability and school performance. Madrid: MEC.
  • Andrade, M., Miranda, C., Freixas, I. (2000). Academic performance and modifiable variables. Revista de Psicología Educativa, Vol. 6, N.o 2.
  • Elexpuru, I. (1994) How can teachers encourage their students’ self-concept in the classroom? Comunidad Educativa, No 217.
  • Galileo Ortega, J.L. and Fernandez de Haro, E (2003); Encyclopedia of Child Education (vol2). Málaga. Ed: Aljibe