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BALTICA Volume 28 Number 1 Year 2015
ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AND SELF – ESTEEM AMONG NORTHERN
BORDER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Mohammad A. Mashagebah, Attaulla F. Alenezi, Adel A. Al-Abide
Education and Psychology Department, Education and Arts College, Northern Border University
Corresponding E-mail: [email protected]
ABSTRACT This study aimed at identifying the levels of achievement motivation and selfesteem among Northern Borders University Students and the relation between them, as well
as identifying the differences in achievement motivation and self-esteem, which can be
ascribed due to the Grade Point Average (GPA) of the students (higher-GPA and lowerGPA). Two scales have been used in this study, the first is the Achievement Motivation Scale
and the second is the Self-Esteem Scale, in addition to the GPA of the students, in order to
identify student’s level. The sample of the study consisted of 400 students from Northern
Borders University. However, two groups of this sample were analyzed statistically. First of
them; is the 100 highest GPA, the second; is the 100 lowest GPA.Means, standard deviations,
Pearson correlation coefficients and T-test for independent groups have been used to make
statistical inference. Results showed a significant relation between achievement motivation
and self-esteem. Also, Results indicated that there is a significant difference in achievement
motivation and self-esteem between the high GPA and low GPA, on behalf of high GPA
students.
KEYWORDS: Achievement Motivation, Self–Esteem, Academic Achievement,GPA,students,
Northern Border University.
INTRODUCTION
Achievement motivation can be defined as
the desire for good performance and
achieving success, and which is a selfmotivation that activates and guides
behavior, and which is considered among
the important elements of success.
Individuals who have high levels of
motivation for achievement tend to make
serious attempts at achieving success in
different situations (Al – Safi, 2000)
Several studies emphasized the importance
of generating motivation among learners,
and using the learning skills so that they
become able to understand the problems
they encounter, and to control, analyze, set
122
hypotheses, experiment and arrive at
generalizations in order to maximize the
quality of their lives. These skills are
highly important in the learning process
(Aziz & Zain, 2010, Ambross, 2011)
The motivation of human behavior is
considered among the basic elements of
personality, and the one which is highly
related to mental excellence, because it is
related to the personal traits of the
individual, as well as his social
characteristics and his cognitive aspects as
well. The studies which were conducted on
the gifted individuals showed that there are
emotional traits which differentiate them
from others who are normal, which result
in their being gifted and which facilitate
learning and academic achievement as well
as excellence and creativity. Researchers
also found a positive relationship between
the motivational aspects and the different
aspects of mental excellence. Achievement
motivation is one of the factors which
contribute to the achievement of high
levels of performance in fields related to
mental constructs (Moeen and Hasan,
2010)
Most educational theories tried to focus on
instigating the internal motivations of the
learner, based on the relevant studies
which found that internally motivated
students are higher achievers compared to
those who are externally motivated. Most
theories differed in their interpretation in
motivation,
the
cognitive
theory
summarized that the reasons which behind
motivation are an internal desire aimed to
regulate cognitive processes. Most of
studies that aimed to study the relationship
among self-steem, achievement motivation
and academic achievement differed in their
results. The study of Abouserie (1995)
aimed at identifying the role of
achievement motivation and self-esteem on
studying patterns. Results indicate that
self-esteem and achievement motivation
are related to the ability of the student in
terms of deep processing; results showed
also that achievement motivation and selfesteem have an important effect on
studying methods. A study by Wakimoto
(2010) aimed at exploring the relation
between achievement motivation on one
hand and the dimensions of self realization
and competition on the other hand, as well
as the relation between self-esteem and
two levels (Stability and instability).
Results showed that a relation exist
between the high level of self-esteem and
achievement motivation (After selfesteem), when the self-esteem is stable,
and a correlation between high self-esteem
and the weak achievement motivation in its
two levels and between the dimension of
competition in achievement motivation.
Seadi (2011) aimed at exploring the
123
relation between learning strategies, self –
esteem and mental performance with
academic achievement among first-year
students of engineering in South Africa.
Results showed the existence of a
correlation between self-esteem and
learning strategies in one hand and the
students' achievement on the other hand.
Kilbert and his colleagues (2011) in a
study which incorporated university
students found a correlation between
achievement motivation and academic self
– esteem which can be raised when a
relation exists between teachers and
parents. As mentioned above, Motivation
is among the prominent characteristics of
Students, and undoubtedly, the high levels
of motivation and the strong rush to
acquire knowledge among students,
enhance excellence and achievement
among them. Motivation is among the
basic elements of personality, and is the
one related to excellence, because it is
related to personal traits and the cognitive
aspects. Self-esteem is also considered
among the important psychological needs
of the individual, and when the level of
self-esteem is high, the individual is more
achieving. Self-esteem and academic
motivation are among the important
psychological needs of the individual,
which Maslow incorporated in his
hierarchy of motivations and needs. Selfesteem and achievement motivation
enhance the development of the individual
through the performance of work, and they
affect the various aspects of life. Several
studies stated that a relation exists between
the achievement motivation and selfesteem, and demonstrated that individuals
with high levels of achievement motivation
have a larger amount of self-confidence
and abilities, and they are generally more
accepted by others. Motivation and selfesteem have a close relation to academic
achievement. This study seeks to identify
the levels of achievement motivation and
self-esteem among Northern Borders
University students and the relation
between them as well as their relations to
1-
23-
4-
5-
academic achievement. The present study
establishes a framework incorporates two
important concepts have significant effects
on academic achievement at students of
Northern Borders University, and it aims
to explore the relation between them and
their effects on academic achievement
among the students. Those two concepts
are achievement motivation, and self
esteem. When the individual has selfesteem, they are usually related to the
goals he achieves, additionally, the high
levels of self-esteem can increase
achievement motivation among students
significantly. Hence, the study guided by
the following questions :
What is the level of achievement
motivation
at
Northern
Borders
University students?
What is the level of self-esteem at
Northern Borders University students?
Is there a statistically significant relation
between achievement motivation and
self-esteem among the students of
Northern Borders University?
Are there differences in Achievement
motivation among the students of
Northern Borders University which can
be ascribed to academic achievement
(High GPA and low GPA)?
Are there differences in Self-Esteem
among the students of Northern Borders
University that can be ascribed to
academic achievement (High GPA and
Low).
METHOD
2.1. Participants
The sample of the study consisted of 400
students at the University of Northern
Borders, with age mean 20.45 years and
St.dev. by 11.67 years. The higher GPA
(25%) represented the high achievers, and
the lowest GPA (25%) represented the low
achievers.
2.2. Measures
Achievement
Motivation
Scale:
Achievement Motivation scale has been
designed and developed by the research
124
team, based on a review of the relevant
literature and the scales of achievement
motivation
scales,
which
include:
Mokhtar’s scale (2014), and Al-Harby
scale (2013), and the scale of Melhem and
Bakeer (2012). The scale, in its final
version consisted of (28) items under five
sub-categories: Stamina (6 items),
ambition level (5 items), seeking
excellence (Consists of 6 items), regulating
time dimension (Consists of 6 items) and
the future-direction (Which consists of 5
items). The scale has five points, in which
(5 = very much), (4= much), (3=
sometimes), (2= a little) and (1= very
little). This is the case in positive items,
which reflect the scores in negative items.
So, the scores in the scale ranged between
(28-140).As the score increase, the level of
achievement motivation increase. Levels
are as follows: (20-40 low), (41-60
medium) and (61-8) high and from (81100) very high.
For the purposes of the present study, the
face validity of the scale was derived for
the scale as a whole through revising it by
ten referees from among the instructors at
Saudi universities who are specialized in
psychological sciences. The items were
accepted by (80%) of the referees. The
researchers calculated the validity of the
scale discriminating validity through
calculating the difference between the
means of the scores of individuals in the
two levels (The strong and the weak) of the
achievement motivation scale on a sample
consisting of (60) individuals. Table 1
below shows the discrimination validity of
the scale.
Correlation coefficient was calculated
through
Alpha
Cronbach
internal
consistency scale, and found to be (0.75).
Self – Esteem Scale: This scale has been
designed
originally by Heatherton
,Herman,& Polivy (1991). Al – Harby
(2013) derived the face validity of the
adjusted scale through a set of referees
who are specialized in psychology.
The scale consists of (20) items, of which
(7) items are positive and (13) items are
negative, belonging to three dimensions.
The appearance dimension, consists of (6
items), the social dimension which consists
of (7 items) and the performance
dimension which consists of seven items.
Responses to the scale are on a Likert five
points, ranging from applies (very little) to
applies (very much), which are assigned
the scores (1-5) from lower to higher for
the positive items and from higher to lower
for the negative items. For the purposes of
the present study, the face validity of the
scale was determined through ten referees
from among the instructors at Saudi
universities specialized in educational and
psychological sciences, who expressed
their agreement with the suitability of the
scale to the targeted sample. Reliability
coefficient was calculated through alpha
Cronbach internal consistency test, and the
reliability value was (0.82).
RESULTS
The results related to the first Question:
which states that (What is the level of
achievement motivation at Northern
Borders University students?)
In order to answer this question, means and
standard deviations for the performance of
the sample of the study in the achievement
motivation scale were calculated. Table (2)
shows the means and standard deviations
of the performance of the sample
participants in the achievement motivation
scale. It can be seen from table 2 that the
level of achievement motivation was high
among the participants in the whole scale
as well as the minor dimensions. The
results related to the second question:
which is stated as follows (What is the
level of self-esteem at Northern Borders
University students?)
In order to answer this question, means and
standard deviations of the performance of
the participants in the self-esteem scale
were calculated. Table (3) shows the
means and standard deviations for the
performance of the participants in self –
125
esteem scale. Table (3) shows that the level
of self –esteem was high among the
participants at the study on the scale as a
whole as well as the minor dimensions.
This result shows that the self-esteem
among the students of Northern-Borders
University was high. Self-esteem is the
value assigned by the individual to
himself. Results related to the third
question: which is stated as follows (Is
there a statistically significant relation
between achievement motivation and selfesteem among the students of Northern
Borders University?)
In order to answer this question,
correlation coefficient has been used for
the purposes of exploring the achievement
motivation and self-esteem among the
students of Northern Borders University.
Table (4) shows the correlation coefficient
between the achievement motivation and
self-esteem among the participants of the
study. Results show a positive correlation
that is statistically significant between
achievement motivation and self-esteem;
the higher achievement motivation, the
higher the self-esteem. The results related
to the fourth question: which can be stated
as follows: (Are their differences in
Achievement motivation among the
students of Northern Borders University
which can be ascribed to academic
achievement (High GPA and low GPA)?)
In order to answer this question, t- test was
used on two independent samples. Table
(5) shows the results of the t-test for
analyzing the differences in the
achievement motivation which are due to
the level of educational and academic
achievement (High GPA and low GPA).
Table (5) shows significant differences
among the means of the students'
performance between (higher GPA and
lower GPA) in the whole achievement
motivation scale and in all the minor
dimensions. The results related to the fifth
question: which is stated as follows (Are
their differences in Self-Esteem among the
students of Northern Borders University
that can be ascribed to academic
achievement (High GPA and Low GPA)?)
In order to answer this question, a t-test
was used on two independent groups.
Table (6) shows the results of t-test for the
analysis of differences in self-esteem
which are ascribed to the level of academic
achievement (high versus low). Table (6)
shows significant differences between the
means of performance of higher – GPA
and lower GPA students in the scale of
total Self-Esteem, and in all the other
minor dimensions, except the social selfesteem dimension.
Table 1: Discriminating Validity of Achievement Motivation Scale.
Scale
Low achievers n =30
High achievers n = 30
t-test
Achievement
motivation
Mean
Mean
9.972
88.6667
Standard
deviation
8.11696
105.0573
Standard
deviation
4.68993
Independence
degree
58
Significance
level
*.001
Table 2: Means and Standard Deviations of The Performance of The Participants of The sample of The Study in The Achievement
Motivation Scale.
Scale
Stamina
Ambitions level
Seeking excellence
Regulating time
Future direction
Achievement motivation
N
400
400
400
400
400
400
Mean
19.7700
18.5175
21.8775
20.0225
18.5575
98.7450
Standard deviation
3.16894
3.43500
3.95368
4.09254
3.55151
12.97675
Level of achievement motivation
High
High
High
High
High
High
Table 3: Means and Standard Deviations of The Performance of The Participants of The Sample in The Self-esteem Scale.
Scale
Appearance self – esteem
Social self - esteem
Performance self –esteem
Total self - esteem
N
400
400
400
400
Mean
21.5950
25.6975
25.8375
73.1300
Std. deviation
4.04188
4.35470
4.10344
9.81396
Table 4: Shows The Correlation Between Achievement Motivation and Self-esteem Among The
Achievement motivation
Stamina
Ambitions level
Seeking excellence
Regulation of time
Future direction
Total achievement motivation
126
Self esteem
Appearance self – esteem
Social self esteem
Performance self esteem
Total self esteem
Appearance self – esteem
Social self esteem
Performance self – esteem
Total self – esteem
Appearance self – esteem
Social – self esteem
Performance self – esteem
Total self esteem
Appearance self – esteem
Social self – esteem
Performance self – esteem
Total self – esteem
Appearance self – esteem
Social self – esteem
Performance self – esteem
Total – self – esteem
Appearance self – esteem
Social self – esteem
Performance self – esteem
Total self – esteem
Level of self – esteem
High
High
High
High
Students of Northern Borders University.
Pearson correlation
0.292
0.249
0.386
0.384
0.373
0.448
0.465
0.547
0.346
0.317
0.470
0.480
0.136
0.198
0.296
0.268
0.294
0.370
0.437
0.468
0.399
0.440
0.569
0.597
Sig. (2-tailed)
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
*0.001
Table 5: Results of T-test for The Analysis of The Differences in Achievement Motivation Which Are due to The Level of Academic
Achievement.
Dimension
Stamina
Ambitions level
Seeking excellence
Regulation of time
Future direction
Total
motivation
achievement
Achievement level
High
Low
High
Low
High
Low
High
Low
High
Low
High
Low
N
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Mean
20.6400
18.9600
20.4000
18.3500
23.6000
21.3900
20.8800
19.7700
20.1400
18.4900
105.666
96.9600
Standard deviation
3.33794
3.04153
3.00841
3.51440
4.44949
3.80562
3.81724
3.65937
4.03525
3.34994
13.617559
13.52657
t-value
3.720
Sig.
*0.001
4.431
*0.001
3.775
*0.001
2.099
*0.037
3.146
*0.002
4.533
*0.001
Table 6: Results of T-test for The Analysis of The Differences in Self-esteem Which are due to The Level of Academic Achievement.
Dimension
Appearance self - esteem
Social self –esteem
Performance self – esteem
Total self – esteem
Achievement level
High
Low
High
Low
High
Low
High
Low
DISCUSSION
Regarding to the first question, This study
shows that the level of achievement
motivation among the students of Northern
Borders University was relatively high;
this finding can be a result of the presence
of ambition among those students who
aspire to get high scores in academic
achievement, or due to the competition
among the students who seek to get the
highest GPA.
This is a natural phenomenon among
university students. It is also likely that the
high level of achievement motivation is
due to their study at the university or to
some of the courses they study. However,
it is natural that the level of achievement
motivation is high among the university
students who attend the university in order
to get the university certificate and to
graduate from the university; and some of
them consider the higher study.
Achievement motivation can be a result of
the activities organized by the university as
well as the competitions it holds,
especially the athletic activities.
127
N
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Mean
22.1000
21.4800
26.0800
26.5100
27.6600
24.2500
75.8400
72.2400
Standard deviation
4.68071
4.22948
4.6875
4.41873
4.20010
3.88828
10.94589
9.93831
t-value
0.983
Sig.
0.327
0.668
0.505
5.958
*0.001
2.435
*0.016
Regarding to the second question, The
results of the study showed that the selfesteem was high among the students of the
university which is due to the fact that they
are university students, which gives them a
higher value for themselves. High selfesteem may be due to the high
achievement motivation levels among
those students, or due to their attention to
social relations and social support.
Consequently, each student seeks the best
for him-self, to be the best as seen by himself and by others, towards which he
proceeds. Through this seeking, the student
develops him-self, and as result of that
development, the value he assigns to himself will be higher.
Regarding to the third question, Results
show a positive correlation that is
statistically
significant
between
achievement motivation and self-esteem;
the higher achievement motivation, the
higher the self-esteem.
This result is based on the results of the
previous two questions, in which the
results show that the achievement
motivation is high, and which show also
that the self-esteem was also high. Possible
relations between achievement motivation
and its dimensions such as stamina,
ambition level, seeking excellence,
regulating time and direction to future in
one hand, and the self-esteem in the other
hand. This means that the individual who
has a high achievement motivation level
will likely have a high level of self-esteem.
The opposite may be likely also; that the
individual whose achievement motivation
is high is a result of the high self-esteem.
The individual, who seeks achievement,
will have a positive self-image, and the one
who has a positive self-image, and who
respect himself, will have a high level of
achievement motivation.
Regarding to the fourth question, Results
showed significant differences in the
whole achievement motivation as well as
the minor dimensions. This result indicates
that students with high-GPA have high
achievement motivation, and students with
low-GPA have lower achievement
motivation levels. This result is expected,
based on the strong relation between
achievement motivation and academic
achievement. Inevitably, as student GPA
increased, the possibility that he has a
higher level of achievement motivation
increased. Similarly, the lower-GPA
student has a lower-level of achievement
motivation.
Regarding to the fifth question, results
shows significant differences between the
means of performance of higher – GPA
and lower GPA students in the scale of
total Self-Esteem, and in all the other
minor dimensions, except the social selfesteem dimension. Results also showed
statistically significant differences in total
self-esteem, and in the performance selfesteem dimension, and the performance
dimension between higher – GPA and
lower GPA students. (Concerning the
dimensions of physical self-esteem and
social self-esteem, the results showed no
statistically significant differences between
higher – GPA and lower GPA students. It
is possible that the individual who has a
128
positive self-esteem and who has values
and respects him-self will pay attention to
everything that enhances his value.
Achievement academically is among the
most important elements in self –esteem,
based on the importance of the
achievement in the community in which
they live.
Additionally, the performance dimension
is also related to academic achievement, in
that the person whose performance is high
in general will have a high level of
performance in academic achievement.
Concerning the dimension of physical self
esteem, and the dimension of social-selfesteem,
no
statistically
significant
differences were found between higherGPA and lower-GPA students. This result
shows that physical and social self-esteem
has no relations to academic achievement.
This finding can be ascribed to the fact that
when the individuals have physical and
social self-esteem, this is not related to
academic achievement, and that higherGPA and lower-GPA have the same levels
of physical and social self-esteem.
Limitations and future directions :The
major limitation of the present study was
the sex of participants which included male
only. Hence in the future research, we
study male and female students.
A second limitation was the type of
institution which included northern border
university. In the future research, we study
a multi-type of institutions including
educational, industrial, and medical.
CONCLUSION
The study showed that the level of
achievement motivation and the level of
self-esteem were high among Northern
borders university students. The results
showed also statistically significant
relation between achievement motivation
and self-esteem. Results showed also
statistically significant differences between
the levels of achievement motivation and
self-esteem among higher-GPA and lowerGPA students and on behalf of the higherGPA students.
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