A descriptive study of the relationship between academic achievement and self-esteem

The overall objective of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the middle school student's academic achievement and self-esteem and gender. The main objective is to become aware of factors that may or may not contribute to academic achievement of African American children.\nGrade point averages from school files along with a self-esteem scale were administered to sixth grade students at an urban middle school, in a metropolitan city, in the southeastern United States. A population of forty students, 19 male and 21 females were surveyed.\nThe researcher hypothesized that there was no statistical significant relationship between academic achievement and self-esteem. Also, there is no difference between male and females with reference to self-esteem and no difference between academic achievement in relation to gender.\nThe researcher found no statistical significant relationship between academic achievement and self-esteem. Major findings and implications for social work practice are discussed.