Self Esteem and Science 1

Self Esteem and Academic Performance in Science

Johnny Morse

University of St. Thomas

Dr. Yoo

September 2012
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 2

Table of Contents Commented [cb1]: The table of contents should contain all of
the headings and subheadings of each chapter and the page
number on which each begins. You may include space markers
(…….) before each page number if you wish; this sample does not
Abstract 3 include space markers.

Chapter 1: Introduction 4
Self Esteem and Academic Performance
Summative Assessments 4
Self Esteem Scale 5
Research Question and Justification 6 Commented [cb2]: Only include the number of heading levels
that are necessary for organizing your paper. You might not include
L2 and L3 headings in some chapters (e.g., Chapter 4).
Chapter 2: Literature Review 7
TIMSS 7
Progressive Curriculum Development 9
Brown Center for Research 10
Return to Rigor 11
Praise and Promise 12
Chapter 3: Method 14
Participants and Sampling 14
Measures 15
Design 16
Procedure 16
Data Analysis Plan 17
Chapter 4: Results 18
Chapter 5: Discussion 19
Strengths and Limitations 19
Recommendations and Action Planning 20
References 22
Appendix 24
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 3

Abstract

The study is a quantitative research project analyzing student self-esteem and their performance

in science. The PISA exam in 2006 showed that U.S. students were some of the most confident,

but that didn’t transfer into high test scores. The initial analysis involves what is student

confidence and self-esteem. The study involves a 7th Grade Science class in the Pasadena

Independent School District. The students were given a Likert Scale Questionnaire prior to

taking summative assessment in science. The Likert Scale was to determine the student level of

confidence prior to the exam. The student level of confidence was then compared to their level of

achievement on the assessment. The intent was to determine if educators need to focus on

positively influencing student levels of self-esteem to improve their performance on summative

assessments. The data would be used to assist teacher in planning find was to influence and

reinforce self-esteem.

The data revealed there was no correlation between student level of confidence and their

performance on the science assessment. The sample size was small at 42 students so the results

are not generalizable or scalable. Larger studies over numerous years could yield different results

or reinforce the findings since the data was only from one assessment.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 4
Chapter 1
Introduction
(Introduction)
The self-esteem of students is a significant issue at many schools. Students are taking
more formative assessments and more weight is being put on these assessments for students and
teachers. With the constant assessment of students research has suggested there is a correlation
between student self esteem and performance on formative assessments (Miller Lavin, 2005).
In middle school student self-esteem is hard to measure and build. Students are trying to
find their identities and their performance in school is at a pivotal point for their continued
education and success. Many students have established notions about their academic ability
since they have been in school for 7 to 8 years at this point. If there is a high correlation between
student self esteem and performance on formative assessments in science, this information can
lead to assessment of ways to positively influence student self esteem in science and eventually
improve scores on formative science assessments. This applies to science because many students
shut down when challenged. In science class students are frequently unfamiliar with the topics
and this creates difficulties with focus and in the end comprehension. If students are confident in
their ability they will try harder to understand the concept and perform better overall in science.
Previous studies have been inconclusive about the relationship between student
performance and self esteem. The University of Michigan (year?) conducted a study on 777
families in Maryland and how self esteem affected grade point average. With a similar age range
11-16 and demographic they found no conclusive evidence of the correlation between self
esteem and GPA (Peck). This was not absolute as within the demographic breakdowns female
Commented [cb3]: Note that the main heading for Chapter 1
does not follow APA style. You should include the label Chapter 1
and the heading Introduction in bold, title case (i.e., upper and
lower case letters).
Commented [s4]: Would you start this section with introducing
the relationship of self-esteem and academic performance in
science?
To do this, you need to provide a definition of self-esteem in
science, not general self-esteem. Also you can consider to change
from self-esteem to self-confidence in science.
And then, you may refer some positive or negative relationship
between self-confidence and academic performance in science.
And then, you can formulate your hypothesis with them.
Please, avoid describing “general self-esteem” in this subsection.
From other works, I believe you can find some findings on the
relationship between self-confidence and academic performance.
Commented [s5]: Is there any evidence or supporting
researchers for this sentence?
Commented [s6]: This is unclear to state the relationship of
self-esteem and academic performance in science. If you can refer
some findings from the existing research, it will help you to make
your hypothesis or research question.
Commented [s7]: I’m curious if you assume that it is due to low
self-esteem.
Commented [s8]: This sentence will be able to your hypothesis
if you provide some supporting evidence from other studies’
findings and your personal experience as a science teacher.
Commented [s9]: Is there any studies on the relationship self-
esteem and science? Uof Michigan study is too general to support
your research question.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 5

students did have a correlation between self esteem and GPA over time. This selection was part

of the Maryland Adolescent Development In Context Study (MADICS) that had been conducted

over several years (Peck)

Research Design

From the STAAR test to the 6 week district assessments students in Texas face a Commented [s10]: Please, give its full name with parentheses
Commented [s11]: These two paragraphs tell about measuring
multitude of summative assessments. These assessments determine if students move onto the students’ performance in science. Just focus on the summative
assessment in science throughout the STAAR.

next level. The assessments factor into teacher appraisal and even teacher discipline. The

summative assessment is also pivotal to school funding with the implantation of “No child Left

Behind”. The assessments students take have widespread ramifications and if they can be

positively influenced by simply managing how students feel about their ability educators need to

look at the possibility.

The STAAR test is the latest iteration of the standard testing for the state of Texas. This

will be its second year in existence and the first the scores will be counted for student graduation.

The STAAR test was designed to test student’s application of knowledge instead of

memorization or recognition. It has increased the rigor from the previous TAKS test through

lengthier word problems with higher academic language. Every year the test standards will be

increased to continue to encourage student achievement. With so much importance being placed

on summative assessments finding ways to improve students test scores is important.

The self esteem of the students is the critical measure of success for the study. The
Rosenberg Self Esteem scale set to a 5 point measure has been used in academic studies since its
inception in 1965 (Morris). The original scale is a 4 point system to measure your own self
Commented [s12]: From this part, you are telling about
measuring “self-esteem”. Rosenberg’s scale just tells us the general
self-esteem. For your study, you need to find out another scale to
measure self-confidence in science. If you find out the right survey
on self-confidence for your study, you will be able to conduct your
study easily.

esteem. The Rosenberg model combined with the Linkert scale will provide the base for
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 6

determining the students self esteem in science (Gay). The Linkert scale is a 5- point scale

which is used to determine self confidence or attitudes about a particular subject. With the

answer choices ranging from 5 strongly agree to 1 strongly disagree it will offer a range of

student confidence levels to study. Establishing a range of self esteem will offer a better way to

assess confidence and determine the correlation between self esteem and performance in science.

Research Question and Justification
Students will continue to take formative assessments. With six districts benchmarks in science
Commented [s13]: Justification should be done with your
personal experience or other studies’ findings. Here, there is little
supports to forumulate your research hypothesis, “ There is a
relationship between self-esteem and students’ test scores in
science”

this year and the STAAR at the end of the year finding ways to improve students test scores is critical.

By designing a quantitative study to analyze the correlation if any between students self esteem and

performance on science formative assessments. I believe there will be a connection between self esteem

and student test scores in science. The correlation will be the result of the amount of effort the students Commented [s14]: Please, make sure that “students test
scores in science” represents “academic performance” in your
study and come from STAAR
are willing to put in if they feel they can be effective. Many times when students struggle they shut down

essentially terminating the learning process. If students believe they can overcome the struggle they will
put in the extra effort to master objectives which will increase their test scores.
Commented [s15]: Please, elaborate this with your personal
experience. I think that this is motivation for you to study this topic,
relationship between self-esteem and academic performance in
science. If you provide some examples and reflections from your
experience, those can support your hypothesis as well.

Significance of this Study

Knowing the level of correlation between self esteem and academic performance in science will

benefit the classroom greatly. Many schools in all academic pursuits try to celebrate student success. By

finding a significant correlation between student performance in science and self esteem it would validate

the programs already in place and also provide a reason to focus on self confidence when planning Commented [s16]: You should choose one of them, self
esteem and self confidence, and then make sure the alignment.
lessons.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 7

Chapter 2

Literature review

The literature review analyses studies done in numerous environments about student self esteem

and student’s performance on tests. It also analyses some of the approaches to understanding

student’s motivation and self esteem. Two of the studies focus on the U.S. on an international

scale. These studies use large student pools to gather information and have techniques for

gathering data on Student self esteem and data that shows a correlation. It also provides a

framework for how to properly assess self esteem. Along with empirical data there is qualitative

analysis of student self esteem and motivation for learning style and philosophy to why students

drop out and the impact of these concepts, My research looks at how self esteem impacts student

performance on science assessments and these studies have already been don on an international

level. It also looks at the relevance of even evaluating student self confidence if the correlation

is minimal.

TIMSS Commented [s17]: In reviewing literature, you should provide

the research purpose, questions or hypotheses, data collection and
analysis, and findings. Here, you just introduced the brief
introduction of the research. Please, provide what the research
The study of self esteem in the classroom is a fairly recent phenomenon. With educators found with its purpose and questions.

trying to find new ways to prepare students for the working world they have started to look at

how self esteem affects academic performance. One of the more recent and significant studies

was done by the Brown Center for research on American Education and looks at how happiness

is related to student test scores on the 2003 Trends in International Math and Science Study

(TIMSS) throughout the world. While not focusing directly on self esteem the assessment Commented [s18]: I’m interested in the research finding
because I believe that it gives you an insight for your study.
Happiness can be categorized to affective domain as self-
determines the students level of self confidence in the subject matter and compares the student’s confidence.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 8

level of confidence to the students actual test performance. The research uses the student

responses to these questions to assess their level of confidence.

• I usually do well in science;

• Science is more difficult for me than for many of my classmates;*
• Science is not one of my strengths;
• I learn things quickly in science.*

The students have a four point scale using to assess their level of self esteem. They assign point

values to student’s answers with choices from 1.) I agree a lot 2.) I agree 3. I disagree and 4.) I

disagree a lot. Using their responses students are grouped into one of three categories high self

esteem medium self esteem and low self esteem. The test also analyzes what value students

place on science with another set of questions. Overall 57 percent of students across all

countries placed a high value on learning science. The test even analyses if students enjoy

learning science.

The data overall showed a negative correlation between student self esteem and test

performance on an international level. The students in the U.S. had some of the highest self

esteem scores in science with 56% believing they were good at science and 31% in the medium

category. Compared to Chinese Taipei and Singapore even the student with the highest self

esteem and scores in the U.S. scored lower than the low self esteem students. There is one other

very significant fact in the study. Regardless of the country the students with the highest self

esteem scores also had the highest averages on the test.

SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 9

Progressive Curriculum Development

The progressive’s movement focuses on student centered learning and education being

related to student interest and desires. The movement gained popularity in the early 1900’s and

prompted the Eight Year Study by the Progressive Education Association from 1933-1941 (Oliva

Gordon p. 136). The study followed its subject even garnering support from 30 colleges to allow

students from progressive school to gain admission without the typical prerequisites. Allowing Commented [s19]: I’m not sure which study you are referring.

students to learn at their own pace and focus on their interests maintained their happiness and the

students performed as well and even better than students from traditional schools (Dewey 1918). Commented [s20]: If this is the finding from a certain study,
you should give a credit.

While the movement lost momentum in part due to the lower end of the progressivism scale of

students writing in block letters through high school because they chose to and the need to find

effective curriculum to educate the masses (Oliva & Gordon p. 138). This approach to learning

has seen a resurgence in recent years as curriculum focuses on relating content to student

interests and finding ways to keep our students interested and happy. Bill and Melinda gates

have teamed with Oprah Winfrey to create new schools that focus on student centered

curriculum. The goal is to have project based learning to meet learner’s needs. There are other

school that are already embracing this philosophy The Brightworks School, a K-12 private

school; Stanford d.school, an institute of design; and the M.I.T. Media Lab, a graduate program

(Goyal, 2012), Commented [s21]: Would you please provide an example from
your experience to elaborate this sentence?

Oprah Winfrey has sponsored school and Bill Gates has donated money to schools with

no books no lectures and they simply focus on learning portfolios and student interests (Loveless

2006, p. 13). Bridgeland (2006) conducted a study sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 10

Foundation . In this study, he surveyed the reasons of why students dropped out of school.

(Bridgeland 2006). The study found that 47% stated the reason they dropped out of school was

because the classes were boring and they weren’t interested (Bridgeland, 2006). They included
467 dropouts across 25 urban areas ages 16-24. The focus of the study was strictly dropout and
Commented [s22]: Please, provide more about the findings.
Besides of this finding, I think Bridgeland’s study has the other
findings, even though I don’t know its research purpose. Please,
provide more about its purpose, questions, data collection and
analysis, and findings.

the sampling criteria is very vague and does not appropriately equate to any area or demographic.

The study does give some information as to why students are dropping out. One of the biggest is

that 87% think it was a mistake. They study does give ideas on how to improve student

motivation and involve parents and draws conclusion about student attendance as a predictor for

students quitting. While this may be the stated reason there is no study of how many graduating

students found classes to be boring and uninteresting. With the finding of the study the Bill and

Melinda Gates foundation concluded one of the things we could do to improve our schools was

to make the subjects relative to them to help maintain student interest.

Brown Center for Research on American Education

The Brown Center for Research on American Education also studied Self efficacy and

relation to science. The studied conducted in 2008 compared the concepts from the TIMSS and

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on assessing science student and how

student’s perception of their abilities equated to their performance on tests. The PISA tests over
400,000 students from 57 different countries (PISA, 2006). The PISA also focuses on students
Commented [s23]: I guess there are so many findings the study
show. Please, provide more information about this study, with its
research question, data collection (specially the survey questions),
and findings. This study is really great to give implications to your
study.

attitude toward science with 93% of students said that science was important for understanding

the natural world. The PISA report actually finds a positive correlation between self efficacy and

science performance in country but maintain an inverse relationship between countries with

higher self efficacy resulting in lower scores (Brown Center for Research (?), 2008). The PISA

unlike the TIMSS also focuses on student beliefs and values in science. A section of the test
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 11

asks students their feeling and knowledge of environmental issues from global warming to acid

rain. This section doesn’t necessarily test a students understanding of theses topics simply their

attitudes toward them. After each section there is a box about each question that asks what the Commented [s24]: With the global warming question, how did
the study analyzed it to find students’ attitude. This is a really
interesting item to ask attitude.
students level of interest is 1.) High Level of interest 2.) Medium Interest 3.) Low interest 4.) and

no Interest. This assessment ranges from how acid rain affected statues in Athens to how

technology can help minimize acid rain. Understanding student attitudes towards science is an

indicator for judging motivation which helps with student self esteem.

The PISA results group students into six levels for proficiency. The U.S. had a majority

of students (24.2%) scoring at a Level 2 While a majority of industrialized nation had a majority

of their students scoring at level 3 (Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada…). Overall the U.S. student

scored below average for its economy. The U.S. students did score the highest in their belief

they could answer science question like why earth quakes occur. They were above the mean in

Self esteem but below the mean in overall test scores. Japan had on of the lowest Self Esteem

scores but scored well above the mean.

Return to Rigor

With the results of international tests released and analyzed some expert in education are

looking at how to change the United Stated curriculum once again. A return to rigor and focused

praise is an idea coming from educational foundations. The Washington post article summarizes

how some institutions are analyzing and interpreting the data (Chandler). The Rocky Hill School

district showed students how the brain develops and there teachers are encouraging students to

struggle as a way to help them develop mentally (Chandler). The focus is on getting students to

work through their struggles and find success. Instead of having an A for effort the school
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 12

district has looked to make kids work through there problems and reward their struggle. This is

adapted from research by psychologists and from interpreting the results of the PISA and TIMSS

results form 2003-2006. One of the leaders in this research is Carol S. Dweck a psychologist at

Stanford University.

Praise and Promise Commented [s25]: Can you provide any relationship between
self-confidence and praise?

Carol S. Dweck has studied student’s motivation for over 35 years. One of the biggest

analyses is the effect of praise on students. Studying the effect of praise on students of all ages

has revealed some amazing results in relation to the belief of fixed intelligence and student

efforts. A study by Mueller and Dweck of 5th grade students analyzed the results of different

types of praise. When student were praised about how smart they were during the post

assessment they found the student believed more in a fixed intelligence. When students were

praised for their effort they agreed with questions based on a growth mindset (Dweck 2007).

One of her researches focuses on comparing a growth vs. a fixed mindset (Dweck, Year).

The students with a fixed mindset see struggling as a sign of weakness since in a fixed mindset

you are either smart or you’re not. Students with a growth mindset understand that struggling can

actually help them learn. As teachers when we praise our students we can actually affect the

type of mindset the student has without us as teacher or students ever realizing it. This research

suggests that if we continually praise students for being smart and comment in on how intelligent

they are we could actually limit their academic growth.

Summary

The PISA and the TIMSS assessment both show students in the United States are some of

the most confident in the world. While both of the tests show the United States students actually
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 13

scoring in the middle of the pack internationally. The countries with the highest test scores in

both the PISA and TIMSS had students with some of the lowest self confidence scores.

Internationally even though the U,S. had the highest self esteem scores an was in the middle or

even below average in scores the students with the highest self esteem did have the highest test

scores regardless of what country they were from .

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation study from 2006 revealed 47% of the high school

dropouts citing boredom and lack of interest as a reason for leaving school. Progressives in

education have followed this data and tried to find ways to make learning more interesting and

focus on the students. Text books and educational material involve athletes and stars trying to

gain students attention. In relating to students classrooms have to try to find real world situations

for our students so they can understand concepts.

Internationally the school focus is on the basics and the bottom line of concepts. The

recent test data has suggests maybe student happiness isn’t a relevant criterion in our classroom.

Instead of worrying about if our students feel good about themselves and their ability teachers

should focus on simply delivering content. Rigor is once again gaining ground in our curriculum

but there is still a significant focus on student interest and happiness helping motivate them to

succeed.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 14

Chapter 3

Method Commented [cb26]: The method must include the following

subsections: participants, measures, design, procedure, and data
analytic plan.

Participants Commented [cb27]: Please do not use the term

“Methodology” here.
Commented [cb28]: The participants subsection should include
a description of sampling procedures.
The participants in the study of self esteem and performance in science will be sixty four

7th grade science students at Thompson Intermediate School in Pasadena Independent School

District (PISD). The district has over 50,000 students in all of PISD. There are 78.9%

economically disadvantaged, 58% at risk and 28.8 with limited English proficiency. The

population of 7th grade students is 3,500. The sample size I will use will be my 7th grade science

classes. With the following breakdown by demographic:

American Indian/Alaskan Native 1

Asian 2
Black/African American 17
Hispanic 38
Two or More Races 2
White 4
Female 30
Male 34
First Year of Monitoring 2
LEP 2
Second Year of Monitoring 3
Special Ed Indicator 3

The sampling is all the students I teach. They are a comparable to the breakdown for the

rest of the school district. Overall my classes account for only 2% of the 7th grade population in

PISD.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 15

Measures

There are two significant measures I used to conduct my research. The first is the

questionnaire to asses my students level of self esteem in science. The format is taken directly

from the 2003 TIMMS to evaluate self esteem on the international test (TIMMS 2003). The

second measure will be the scores on the district based assessments in the spring. The criteria for

the tests have not been finalized but the format is a 20 question test with multiple choice and two

bubble choice questions. The measurement for self esteem follows:

Index based on students’ responses to four statements about science:

1) I usually do well in science;

2) Science is more difficult for me than for many of my classmates

(Reversed);

3) Science is not one of my strengths

(Reversed);

4) I learn things quickly in science.

Average is computed across the four items based on a 4-point scale:

1. Agree a lot;

2. Agree a little;

3. Disagree a little;

4. Disagree a lot.

I will take the mean of the student’s responses to determine whether students fall in a high or low

self esteem category.

SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 16

Design

The method will be a correlation study done in a classroom. The students will take the

self esteem questionnaire one week before the science assessment will be given. The data will

be used to determine each student’s level of self esteem in science prior to taking the district

bench mark assessments. Their level of self esteem is the independent variable in the

experiment. The students will then take the district benchmark assessment. The student’s scores

on the assessment will be the dependent variable in the study.

The correlation study was chosen because it is a way to indicate how the two variables

are related. There are a few threats to the validity of the study. One is the sample size. The size

is only 2% of the entire seventh grade for the PISD. The reason a sample size this small was

chosen was because of control all the external factors and the access. Another threat to validity

is the subject matter that will be tested. Some subjects in science are continued from previous

years TEKS so students will have a better understanding and feel more comfortable with the

subject matter. The difficulty of the subject matter can also play a significant part in test scores.

One way to alleviate this is why I will give the questionnaire twice and compare the results form

two tests. Students can also suffer from test anxiety which can shake their self esteem. To adjust

for students feeling nervous before a test I will be giving the questionnaire a week in advance.

Procedure

The first step was notifying the school and parents of the study being conducted. The

Principal was notified in November about the study and parents have been granting permission

since early January. The next step will be to administer the questionnaire a week before the

district assessment. The students will be administered the questionnaire at the beginning of the
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 17

class to prevent any subject matter being taught to influence their decisions when answering

questions. The data will be calculated during the week and will be in place prior to the students

taking the district assessment. The students will take the 20 question district assessment and

their scores will be calculated by the district. The answers on their scan documents are what will

be assesses for the correlation study. There were no interventions or attempts to manipulate the

students self esteem. The initial questionnaire will be completed by the students in March with

the assessment following a week later. All the Data will be collected by March 11.

Data Analysis Plan

There will be two sets of data collected during the study. The first set is the assessment

of the students self esteem. The questionnaire the students fill out will be collected by me and

the scores will be calculated across the four point scale. Students will be broken down into two

categories based on their mean survey score. The next portion of data will be collected from the

district assessments and calculated by the district from the scanned documents. I will compare

how the students scored based on their level of confidence and determine the level of correlation

between their self esteem and their test scores. The data will be managed by me and simply

managed by a spreadsheet once it is received. The test scores are public throughout the district

and will simply be retrieved through Aware the district site for testing data.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 18

Chapter 4

Results

The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of correlation between a

students self confidence and their performance on science exams. The reason for the exams was

to study how much of correlation there is and how it can be used in the future to improve test

scores. The data will help to determine if the there is a way to improve student self esteem and

test scores in the future.

The students in the study were all between the ages of 12-14 in the seventh grade. The

sample size consisted of 27 students. The survey from the 2003 TIMMS was used to measure

students’ self-esteem levels in science. On a four point scale the self esteem score total range

was 5-16 (4-16 was the possible range) with a mean of 9.2. The lower the score the more self-

esteem the student had, the higher the score the lower the self esteem. The distribution of high to

low scores was 15 above the mean and 12 below the mean.

Science exam scores were taken on March 6th 2013. The test scores for participants

ranged from 40 to 96 with a mean of 72.7. Students with the high confidence scores ranged from

66 to 96. Students with low confidence scored from 40 to 88.

Table 1 (see Appendix) shows the means and standard deviations of the self-esteem test

(TIMMS) and science exam scores.

SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 19

Chapter 5

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between students self esteem in

science and their test scores in science. This was to determine if there was a positive or negative

relationship between how students felt about their ability in science and how they actually

performed on a science exam. At the conclusion of the study there was no correlation found

between the students self esteem in science and the student’s science test scores. This

inconsistent with the data from TIMMS which had U.S. with higher self esteem scores having

slightly higher test scores. This is consistent with most of the other nation’s data that were part

of the test. Overall U.S. student did have the highest Self Esteem scores but were in the middle

of the pack for overall test scores which is more consistent with my study. The study of self

esteem and science is significant because it will help teachers focus more on curriculum and

teaching methods and focus less on students self esteem.

There was some strength of my study one was the diverse student population I had to

work with. With multiple ethnicities there is the ability to look at multiple selections of students

from African American, Hispanic, even Native America. This finding can leader to further

analysis of different ethnic groups and studier could be done to see if my hypothesis holds true

for students of all ethnic backgrounds. This diversity helps with the validity of the study or

having a focus that is too small. With the wide range of ethnicities results can be extrapolated to

many different groups.

SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 20

The second strength of the study was the focus on science test scores. There is plenty of

relevant data for the test to be compared to help determine the validity. With the TIMMS and

the PISA test the data helps understand some of the test results from international testing.

There were some significant weaknesses in my study. One of the biggest was my small

sample size. To maintain control and validity I chose only one grade level and only students I

was teaching. This greatly reduced the applicable pool for my test from 400 to roughly 70.

While it helped with control and reduce the margin of error it also made it difficult to determine

the reliability of the study. While there is a wealth of diversity in the study the only ethnic

groups with enough students to be considered valid would be African American and Hispanic

students.

The second weakness of my study, was the test itself. The student was only being tested

on one section of science. So if a student struggled with the concept it may not represent their

ability in science tests. Especially if they have a high self-esteem, but they just struggle with

cells. If the test had been an end of year comprehensive exam it would give a better

representation of their actual science test scores. With a smaller more focused test if a student is

weak in one area it has a bigger affect on their grades. This hurts both the reliability if the study

and the validity.

Going forward this study should be repeated with a much large sample size preferably

with over three hundred students. I think this would give a much more accurate measure of the

correlation between students self esteem and science test scores. Another recommendation

would be to use a comprehensive exam much like a STAAR or Stanford test. This would give
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 21

students a larger scope of topics to be tested on and would be a more reliable measure of their

science test taking ability.

As the study stands it will have a minimal impact on my lessons. While I always try to

keep topics relevant and exciting to students I will focus less on how they think they will do on

tests and quizzes and focus on the content of the lesson. With no correlation it implies that

students self esteem in science will not affect their scores some trying to impact their self esteem

is not worth the class time.

Future studies in this Ares should branch out into other area such as math reading and

writing. The results could differ greatly. Further testing could finalize whether dedicating time

to student’s self-esteem is worth it or not for the teachers. By testing this hypothesis I’ve simply

opened the door for more studies. These studies would be used to confirm or deny my

hypothesis and others to see if my hypothesis is valid with different ethnic groups and other

academic areas.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 22

References Commented [cb29]: Consistent with APA, do not bold the

word References.

Bridgeland John, M. Dijulio John J., Morison Karen B. (2006) “The Silent Epidemic:

Perspectives of High school Drop Outs” Civic Enterprises for the Bill and Melinda Gates

Foundation.

Dance, Dallas (2012). “Paying Attention to the Middle” Deliberate Excellence July 27th 2012

http://deliberateexcellence.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/paying-attention-to-the-middle-2/

Dweck, Carol S. (2007). “The Perils and Promise of Praise” October 2006 Volume 65 Number 2

Early Intervention at Every Age Pages 34-39 Educational Leadership,

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct07/vol65/num02/The-Perils-

and-Promises-of-Praise.aspx

Gross, Paul (2005) “The State of State Science Standards” Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Loveless (2006). “Brown Center Report on American Education” October 2006

Volume II, Number 1

Loveless (2008). “Brown Center Report on American Education” January 2009

Volume II, Number 3

Miller, D., & Lavin, F. (2007). 'But Now I Feel I Want to Give It a Try': Formative Assessment,

Self-Esteem and a Sense of Competence. Curriculum Journal, 18(1), 3-25. Rosenberg,

Morris. 1989. Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Revised edition. Middletown, CT:

Wesleyan University Press

Nikhil, Goyal (2012) Why Learning Should Be Messy MindShift October 18, 2012
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 23

PISA 2006 http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisa2006/pisa2006results.htm

Stephen C. Peck, Jacquelynne S. Eccles, & Oksana Malanchuk The Relation Between Academic

Performance and Self-Esteem Depends… University of Michigan

http://www.rcgd.isr.umich.edu/garp

Chandler, Michael Alison In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned

praise Published Washington Post January 15th 2012

TIMSS http://timss.bc.edu/timss2003i/scienceD.html
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 24

Appendix

Table 1. Descriptive Statistics

Table 2. Results of Correlation

Figure 1. Scatter plot of self-esteem and science score

SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 25

Table 1

Descriptive Statistics

M SD N
Self-Esteem 9.20 3.10 25
Science Score 72.70 13.68 23

Table 2

Results of Correlation

Self-Esteem Science Score

Self-Esteem 1 -.363

-.363
Science Score 1

* p < .05
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 26

Figure 1. Scatter plot of self-esteem and science score

Appendix
Table 1: Means (M) and Standard Deviations (SD) for Outcome Measures
Figure 1: Boys’ and girls’ performance on the Block Design subtest of the WISC
Commented [cb30]: Note that the appendix goes at the end. If
an appendix contains more than one item (e.g., a table and a
figure), follow this guide. If the appendix contains only one item, it
is acceptable to include the title Appendix at the top of a single
page, with the item (e.g., the table) beneath the title. There should
be only one appendix.
SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 27

Table 1

Means (M) and Standard Deviations (SD) for Outcome Measures Commented [cb31]: Note that the title goes at the top of the
table, under the line identifying the number of the table (i.e., Table
1). The title should be in title case (all main words capitalized).

Measure M SD

Attitude Scale 12.18 3.14

Preference Questionnaire 20.20 6.12

Interest Inventory 49.70 5.57

Test of Achievement 89.42 3.34

Knowledge Base Test 82.31 10.72

SELF ESTEEM AND SCIENCE 28

Commented [cb32]: Note that the font should match the text
10 font. Color is optional.

8
6 Boys
4 Girls
2
0
Block Design Score

Figure 1. Boys’ and girls’ performance on the Block Design subtest of the WISC. Commented [cb33]: Note that the caption goes below the
figure. The caption should be in sentence case—only the first word
and proper nouns should be capitalized. End the caption with a
period.