ABSTRACT
The present study investigated influence of academic self concept, self
efficacy and gender on social adjustment. Participants were two hundred and
fifty (250) comprising (108) male and
(117) female students of Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu and Enugu State
College of Education Technical; who were randomly selected among the population
of students in the two schools. Their ages ranged from18 to 40 years. A cross
sectional design was adopted. Three instruments were used for data collection.
Academic Self Concept Scale, The General Self-Efficacy scale and Your First
College Year Survey. Three hypotheses were tested. Hierarchical Multiple
Regression was the main statistic used for data analysis. Result of a
Hierarchical Multiple Regression analysis showed that Academic self concept was
a positive significant predictor of student’s social adjustment (β = .27, p
< .001), accounting for 7% of the variance in student’s social adjustment (∆R2 = .07). Self efficacy was
a significant predictor of student’s social adjustment (β = .43, p < .001),
accounting for 15% of the variance in student’s social adjustment (∆R2 = .15). Gender was not a
significant predictor of student’s social adjustment (β = -.07). Amongst the
control variables, none was a significant predictor of student’s social
adjustment, but the control variables all accounted for 2% of the variance
student’s social adjustment (∆R2
= .02). Among the implications is that high academic self concept among students
appears to translate to high social adjustment. Also, academic self concept and
self efficacy proves to be implicated in making students to have a balanced
social life while in school. Suggestions for further studies were equally made.
CHAPTER
ONE
Introduction
Social
adjustment is an umbrella term encompassing various aspects of people’s
performance in social context. It is one’s tendency to cope with all the
difficulties that one may encounter in a social environment. Passer & smith
(2011) refer to it as a life-long process that involves adjustment of an
individual to the society and others in order to be accepted as member of the
society. It is, therefore, the strive by individuals to cope with societal
demands in order to be accepted by others.
Interestingly, those who design and provide programmes for students in
educational settings often seek to enhance aspect of social adjustment either
as a primary outcome or as a value by product of other product activities
(Yeseldyke &thurlow, 1993). It is almost certain that well developed social
abilities affect virtually all aspects of one’s life in social settings; hence,
social adjustment is considered as moving forward with members of the society. Social
adjustment is a psychological concept that involves meeting with the demands of
the environment by balancing conflicting needs in order to adapt to situations.
Hence, it occurs when students adapt and are able to accept situations as they
are. Social adjustment is a necessity in the lives of students as it enables
them to meet many of their needs.
However,
it is important to note that social environment has significant influence on
the way students react to situations. Students’ behaviour is to a great extent
a function of the social environment. Some students are able to adjust or adapt
easily in whatever social environment they find themselves while others are
unable. Social growth which is related to social adjustment is the most
important aspect of one’s development and is acquired through the relationship
with others especially with the parents, peers and the lecturers. It is
desirable that students benefit from supportive social relationship throughout
their lives and acquire the necessary competence to do so. Consequently,
students who possess such competency are usually more resilient and more
adequately prepared to excel in the society. However, since emotional and
cognitive elements reflect and support social adjustment, students who lack
social relationship are socially unskilled, have difficulties in understanding
and interacting with one another. Emotional and cognitive learning that takes
place in the earliest attachment relationships of students are therefore,
indispensable in understanding their later social adjustment.
Social adjustment has been repeatedly linked with
academic performance. Over the past years, research has consistently supported
the construct and predictive validity of social acceptance which is an aspect
of social adjustment, (Cillessen & Bukowski, 2000; Kupersmidt & Dodge, 2004; Parker, 2006).
Studies indicated that individuals with high social acceptance tend to
experience positive academic, social, and behavioural adjustment both
concurrently and in the future; while those with low social acceptance (peer
rejected) tend to experience concurrent problems across these domains and are
at substantial risk for a myriad of later negative outcomes, including suicide
(Carney, 2000),
drug abuse (Spooner, 1999),
educational underachievement (Woodward & Fergusson, 2000), delinquency and antisocial behaviour ( Brendgen, Vitaro, & Bukowski, 1998), and depression (Boivin & Hymel, 1997). Low social acceptance therefore may be a
contributory factor in some of students’ experience of peer rejection which is
characterized by heightened anxiety (e.g., feeling of being left out) that interferes with concentration
in the classroom and impedes students acquisition and retention of information
(Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons-Morton, &
Scheidt, 2001; Sharp, 1995).
Studies equally indicated that individuals tends to have lower academic
self-esteem and depended upon their teachers to a greater extent for academic
assistance in class(seek help from teachers more frequently) compared to
socially accepted individuals (Flook, &Repetti, 2005; Mercer & DeRosier). When
individuals have few friends or fear being bullied or teased which are frequent
experiences of rejected ones; (Boivin, Hymel, & Hodges, 2001), they tend to avoid school resulting in more
frequent absences and, thus, fewer opportunities to learn academic skills in
the classroom (DeRosier, 1994;
Eaton, Kann, &Kinchen, 2007). A key question posed by researchers
focuses on why some students find it difficult in adjusting to new
environments. The present study intends to provide answers to this question by
examining academic self-concept, self-efficacy and gender which the researcher
assumes influence social adjustment. A
study indicated that social life is related to students’ adjustment (Osa-Edoh
& Iyamu, 2012). The few studies carried out on social adjustment among
Nigerian undergraduate, (Adeniyi, Adediran & Adediran, 2014), Aremu, Agokei
& Ugoji, 2011) paid limited attention to academic self-concept,
self-efficacy and gender as predictors of social adjustment. Therefore, in
providing solution to this gap in research, the present study examines the
influence of academic self-concept, self-efficacy and gender on social
adjustment of students. The researcher tends to find out whether these
variables will predict social adjustment of students. Among
variables of interest in this study is academic self-concept. Self concept is a
general view about one’s self worth. It is the view about oneself across
various set of specific domains and belief based on self-knowledge and
evaluation formed through experiences in relation to one’s environment (Eccles,
2005). When one’s self concept is incompatible with societal demands, he/she
feels isolated. It is a continuous process in students’ life this means that it
ensures continual adaptation and adjustment of students to social conditions.
It is the understanding one has about self or the way a person perceives
him/herself. Hormuth (2010) opines that
self-concept refers to self-assessment, awareness and insight one has about
him/her self. Self-concept therefore, is comprised of a set of thoughts,
feelings and attitudes a person develops about him/her self. What we believe we
are capable of doing is therefore one of the most important features of
self-concept. Hult (2004) believes that self-concept is cognitive and
intellectual aspect of “self”, which provides the persons with an overall
understanding about him/her self. Students’ perception about themselves may to
a great extent determine their adjustment to their social environment hence
students’ academic self-concept is believed to be among factors that influences
their social adjustment.
Interestingly,
part played by academic self-concept in social adjustment cannot be
ignored. Academic self-concept is a
psychological construct employed to describe students’ belief regarding their
academic performance in areas such as biology (Wigfield & Karpthian, 1991).
It refers to the individuals’ understanding and perception about themselves in
academic achievement situation. It is a student’s self-concept of their ability
developed through specific endeavours and academic interactions (Valentine,
2004). Academic self-concept therefore, is student’s self assessment about
their unique academic rank, skills or competence. It is how students do school
work or feel about themselves as learners (Guay, 2003). In other words, it is person’s evaluation
regarding specific academic domains and abilities (Trautwein, 2006). Academic
self-concept which is an important concept in educational setting is formed
through transaction with the environment, especially through self-awareness
with others. Youth who have positive academic self-concept and emotional
compatibility have the potentiality to make better progress (Nasir & Lin,
2012). There is a tendency that those
who have negative academic concept about themselves often have lower efficiency
and face problems in setting up close relationship with others. Research indicated that as a student grows
older, his/her academic self-concept becomes more stable (Guay, 2003). Moreover, academic self-concept is believed
to vary as students move through grades, hence, their academic self-concept
tends to rise in the direction of their academic achievement so also their adjustment
and interaction (Liu &Wang, 2005; Jacob, 2002), though some studies
indicated that it tends to become weaker (Marsh, 2002). Academic performance is
often impaired by a number of factors. The factors include lack of preparing
for tests and examinations; not attending lecturers; lack of interest or
motivation in chosen course of study among many others, but academic
self-concept seem to be most prominent contributory factor. Students’ over all
self-worth often affect their performance in school. Academic self-concept, therefore, reflects
students’ feeling, thinking and evaluation of their academic performance in
school. Consequently, it influences students’ social adjustment. Hence
student’s social adjustment depends much on how good or bad their academic self
concept is.
Another
variable of interest in this study is self-efficacy which is people’s belief
concerning their ability to perform the activities needed to achieve desired
outcome. (Bandura, 1989) refers to it as the belief that one can perform the
behaviour necessary to cope successfully, with situation. It is the belief of one’s capability to carry
out necessary action that is needed to achieve a particular goal. Self-efficacy
explains how confident people believe that they are, or how much control they
have in their ability to reach a goal or accomplish a task. This sense of
control is of fundamental importance in social adjustment. Theoretically,
people who lack control in their lives to produce a desired effect are an
individual who finds it difficult to adjust to their social environment. Self
efficacy is always specific to the particular situation, hence, we may have
high self-efficacy in some situation and low self-efficacy in others. It is our
perceived competence, that is, what we believe we can do well or at least
adequately. Self-efficacy differs greatly from one person to another; some
people see themselves as competent in adjusting to social demands while others
do not. Events that are appraised as extremely demanding may generate little
stress if we believe that we have the skill to deal with them. Previous
successes in similar situations increases efficacy; failure undermine it
(Bandura, 1997). People can increase efficacy expectancies through social
persuasion and encouragement. In social situations, students have varying
perceptions of their ability to successfully interact with others. Therefore,
their self-efficacy beliefs reflect their level of social confidence (Bandura,
1977). The possession of high self efficacy has been related to positive
outcomes in academic achievement (Bandura, Pastorelli, Barbaranelli, &
Caprara, 1999) and career choice (Betz & Hackett, 1997), and also reduction
in levels of depression (Ehrenberg, Cox, & Koopman, 1991). The implications
of self-efficacy in the social domain have also been related to constructs such
as social anxiety, shyness, and self-esteem (Smith & Betz, 2000). People
whose self-efficacy is high have confidence in their ability to do what it
takes to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals (Bandura, 1997). Students
therefore, need to develop high self-efficacy and this can be achieved through
social persuasion and encouragement. Self-efficacy
is instrumental in determining how students interact with their environment and
other people. Those that possess high self-efficacy are usually capable of
overcoming difficulties that may surface in the course of adjusting to their social
environment. Hence, there is tendency
for students with high level of self efficacy to adjust effectively to social
conditions. Gender is another variable
that the researcher examines in this study in order to determine its influence
on students’ social adjustment. Gender
is the meaning that individuals and society ascribe to males and females i.e.
meaning that rest on biology in which most humans possess the standard XX or XY
chromosomes. (Wood & Eagly, 2010). It is a state of being male or female. Gender is widely recognized to be an important
empirical factor (or variable) in understanding many aspects of behaviour
(Stewart & McDermott, 2004). The experiences and opportunities males and
females are exposed to differ in our society. Gender therefore, may determine
students’ adjustment to situations or conditions in the social environment.
This study, therefore, examines whether gender influences the way a student’s
adjust socially to their environment.
Statement
of the Problem
This
study seeks to examine academic self-concept, self-efficacy and gender as factors that influence social
adjustment of students. It has been reviewed that academic self- concept
relates to student’s achievement in school and as well as in the society. In
our society today, the number of people with lower academic self-concept and
consequently poor academic performance seem to be high. This could be the reason for poor academic
performance in SSCE result as reported by West African examination council in
the 2015 WAEC result statistics. Moreover, self-efficacy in our society
especially among students is an issue of concern. As it has been proven to
relate to their academic performance many students have “fallen apart” by
believing that they are incapable of achieving success. Students that are
characterized with high self-efficacy braces up and meet the rigours academic
demand.They excel in school because they perceivethemselves as capable of doing
well and adjusting in school. Conversely, low academic self-efficacy inhibits
good academic performance and a learner that possesses this, has the tendency
to see him/hers as being unable to cope with the academic challenges. Koura and
Al-Hebaishi(2014) submitted that high or low self-efficacy is all about
thoughts that students hold about themselves which affect their academic
Performance directly or otherwise. These thoughtful feelings either aid or
hinder their academic progress.
Gender seems to influence social adjustment.
Due to cultural belief, men are permitted to perform certain activities whereas
women are discouraged from performing such activities due to differences in
gender.
Social
adjustment may include how the person interact with others or in a narrower
sense, how the person conforms to social adjustment (levy-wassar & katz,
2014). Therefore, the research questions this study seeks to provide answers to
are:
1. Would academic self-concept significantly influence social adjustment?
2. Would self-efficacy significantly influence social adjustment?
3. Would gender significantly influence social adjustment?
1. Would academic self-concept significantly influence social adjustment?
2. Would self-efficacy significantly influence social adjustment?
3. Would gender significantly influence social adjustment?
Objective
of the Study
The broad objective of
the study is to evaluate factors that influence social adjustments of students.
Specific objectives include:
1. To evaluate the influence of academic
self-concept on social adjustment of
students
2. To ascertain the influence of self-efficacy on social adjustment of students.
2. To ascertain the influence of self-efficacy on social adjustment of students.
3. To identify the influence of gender on social
adjustment of students.
Significance of the Study
This
work provides information on influence of academic self-concept, self-efficacy
gender which would enable the students to understand themselves and also
develop their innate abilities which may positively influence their performance
and social adjustment. Moreover, the study would also propel students to
develop high self-efficacy which is considered necessary for successful
adjustment to social situations. It would enable lecturers to be more
acquainted with the need to build and sustain academic self-concept and
self-efficacy among students. The result of this study is equally hoped to
inculcate in parents the need to contribute to the improvement of
academic-self-beliefs as well as self-efficacy wards. It would also be
beneficial to policy makers in the educational sector who are expected to
include measures that will encourage high academic self-concept and
self-efficacy in educational curriculum.
This work will also serve as
a secondary source of data collection to aid future research endeavours on the
subject matter. It will provide policy makers in educational sector with
qualitative and quantitative data that will aid them in over hauling the
learning contents, experiences and environment.
Operational
Definition of Terms
Academic
self-concept: Academic self-concept is person’s
self-evaluation regarding specific academic domains or abilities as measures by
the 20 item Academic Self-concept Scale (Liu & Wang, 2005).
Self-efficacy:
This is operationalized as the belief that one can perform the behaviour
necessary to cope successfully as measured by the 10 items Generalized
Self-Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer, & Jerusalem, 1995).
Social
Adjustment: This refers to how a person interacts
with others or conforms to social adjustment as measured by the 9 item Social
Adjustment Scale (HERI, 2005).
Gender: This is
the attribute of being male or female.================================================================
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