Understanding "self-esteem" and other vocabulary
Before delving into the research, it is important to differentiate between a couple of key terms. The original motivation for this project was to determine the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement. The literature referenced here, however, distinguishes between different key concepts of self-evaluation.
self-esteem- global measure of self-worth. Self-esteem is the "big picture" of self-evaluation.
self-concept- domain specific self-evaluation. There are many types of self-concept that comprise overall self-esteem. Examples include academic self-concept, social self-concept, physical self-concept, etc. These domains are not necessarily dependent on each other: an individual can have high social self-concept and a low academic self-concept simultaneously but both contribute to overall self-esteem. Self-concepts from different domains can become intertwined, however, if the domains overlap, such as in a highly social learning environment.
(Academic self-concept is the focus of this project)
self-efficacy- situation dependent self-evaluation. These evaluations reflect the individual's beliefs about what he or she can accomplish in a specific instance.
self-control- the interactive facet that communicates between an individual and his or her environment.
self-esteem- global measure of self-worth. Self-esteem is the "big picture" of self-evaluation.
self-concept- domain specific self-evaluation. There are many types of self-concept that comprise overall self-esteem. Examples include academic self-concept, social self-concept, physical self-concept, etc. These domains are not necessarily dependent on each other: an individual can have high social self-concept and a low academic self-concept simultaneously but both contribute to overall self-esteem. Self-concepts from different domains can become intertwined, however, if the domains overlap, such as in a highly social learning environment.
(Academic self-concept is the focus of this project)
self-efficacy- situation dependent self-evaluation. These evaluations reflect the individual's beliefs about what he or she can accomplish in a specific instance.
self-control- the interactive facet that communicates between an individual and his or her environment.