A Comparative Analysis of the Self-concept and Academic Achievement of Black and White High-school Students

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relationships between the selfconcept and academic achievement of black and white tenth-grade American students. Data on these variables were collected from 440 tenth-grade students in the Pacific Northwest School district. Self-concept was measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), and academic achievement by the California Achievement Test (CAT). For black students no significant relationship was found between self-concept and academic achievement, although the relationship reached significance for white students. Growing up black in a predominantly white society and the opposite experience are considered in the light of self-concept and academic achievement.