INFLUENCE OF ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT, ATTITUDES AND COMPLIANCE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GOMBE STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1         Background to the Study

Self-concept has had a long history within Psychology and Education because it provides a gauge to determine the effects, academic and social functioning on the emotional wellbeing of the individual (Kevin 2008). Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow were the first to establish the notion of self concept. According to Rogers in Burns (1978), every one strives to reach an “Ideal self”. He also suggested that psychologically, healthy people actively move away from roles created by the expectations and interest of others and look within themselves for validation.

Researchers such as Alfred Mead saw no other birth place for “self” other than the society. The self of any individual develops as a result of his relationship to the processes of social activities, experience and to other individuals within those processes. The self-concept as an object arises in social interactions as an outgrowth of the individuals concern. It also deal with how others react to the individual and is generally viewed as a valued educational outcome. (Aronson,.Wilson, and Akert, 2010).

Academic Self concept also had a long history within Psychology and Education. Students‟ self-concept about their capabilities in school determine how well they perform in school. The perception of their self, plays a vital role in their performance. Balarabe and Bakari (2013), explained that self-concept is multi-faceted, hierarchical, organized and structured, descriptive and evaluative, stable, and yet increasingly situation specific. This explanation is consistent with the multidimensional and hierarchical models of self-concept by Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton. Again in Balarabe and Bakari (2013), this model proposed that Academic self concept is one of several different facets of the self that contribute to the individuals‟ general self-concepts.

Students in senior classes are mostly adolescents and tend to grow by being promoted from one class of the next, and so their self-concept increases. They begin to rediscover themselves more and more. Knowing the self-concept gives an opportunity for one to view himself in a unique way which probably differs from how others may perceive him. Knowing the self also helps us to build our image, ability and uniqueness. (Mcleod, 2013). The school may also develop students‟ self-concept which could influence their behaviuor and academic performance.

Attitude generally has roles in molding the behavior of each individual student, because its mental or neutral state of readiness is organized through experience. It exerts a directive and dynamic influence upon the individuals response to all objects or situations with which it is related. Mukherjee (2002) indicated that from experience, individuals acquire cognition and feelings or attraction about things or situations of their environment and the readiness implies that it is a kind of pre dispositions to respond, and therefore it gets operational components as well. (Mukherjee, 2002).

INFLUENCE OF ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT, ATTITUDES AND COMPLIANCE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GOMBE STATE