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The Role of Self-Esteem in the Academic Performance of Rural Students in China

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  • Wenjing Yu

    (China Academy for Rural Development, Zhejiang University Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou 310058, China
    Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Yiwei Qian

    (Research Institute of Economics and Management, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 610074, China)

  • Cody Abbey

    (Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Huan Wang

    (Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Scott Rozelle

    (Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Lauren Ann Stoffel

    (Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Chenxu Dai

    (Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

Abstract

The self-esteem of students may be significantly associated with their academic performance. However, past research in developing contexts on this issue is limited, particularly among early adolescents. Using a sample of 3101 students from rural primary and junior high schools in China, this study measured their self-esteem by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and explored its association with academic performance. Our findings indicate that students in rural China had both significantly lower self-esteem and a higher prevalence of low self-esteem when compared to past studies of similarly aged students both from urban China and internationally. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation between a student’s self-esteem and academic performance. A one-SD increase in RSES score (indicating better self-esteem) was associated with an increase of 0.12 SD in standardized math scores ( p < 0.001), and students with low self-esteem (RSES score < 25) scored lower on math tests by 0.14 SD ( p < 0.001), which were robust and consistent when employing the propensity score matching method. Our study expands the growing body of empirical evidence on the link between self-esteem and academic performance among rural youth in developing countries and emphasizes the need to improve their self-esteem with the aim of helping them achieve academically.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenjing Yu & Yiwei Qian & Cody Abbey & Huan Wang & Scott Rozelle & Lauren Ann Stoffel & Chenxu Dai, 2022. "The Role of Self-Esteem in the Academic Performance of Rural Students in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:13317-:d:943424
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    References listed on IDEAS

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