Predictors of academic disidentification among Form Three Secondary School Students in Mombasa County, Kenya
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Date
2016-02
Authors
Otanga, Habil Ferd
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The study investigated the extent to which gender, type of school, academic
achievement and causal attributions predict academic disidentification of
secondary school students. The extent to which academic self-esteem mediated
the relationships with two specific aspects of disidentification, discounting and
devaluing was also studied. The study employed correlational and exploratory
designs. Martin Covington's Self-worth Motivation Theory and Carl Rogers'
Self Theory of Personality Development anchored the study. Failure and
inappropriate attributions were hypothesised to reduce students' academic selfesteem
and result in self-worth protection through discounting feedback and
devaluing academic achievement. The study was conducted in Mvita subcounty,
Mombasa County, Kenya. Purposive, stratified and simple random
sampling was used to select a sample of 449 students (206 male and 243
female) and 11 teachers from 12 schools. Research instruments included
document analysis, a students' questionnaire and semi-structured interviews.
For the students' questionnaire, the State Self-esteem Scale, Multidimensional-
Multiattributional Causality Scale and the Intellectual Engagement Inventory
were adapted to measure academic self-esteem, causal attributions and
academic disidentification respectively. Teacher interviews were done in the
respective schools. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to
analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic
analysis. All the hypotheses were tested at p < .05 level of significance using
regression analysis and ANOVA. Findings show that female students reported
higher discounting while male students reported higher devaluing. There was a
significant interaction effect of gender and type of school on academic selfesteem
and discounting. Academic self-esteem was positively related to
academic achievement and negatively related to both discounting and
devaluing. Academic achievement negatively predicted both discounting and
devaluing and significantly predicted devaluing and not discounting. Stable
attributions significantly positively predicted discounting. Stable and unstable
attributions significantly positively and negatively predicted devaluing
respectively. Internal attributions to success and external attributions to failure
negatively and positively predicted discounting respectively. Internal
attributions for success and external attributions for failure negatively and
positively predicted devaluing respectively. Academic self-esteem partially
mediated the relationship between academic achievement and devaluing.
Academic self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between attributions
and both discounting and devaluing. Overall, the findings of the study
supported the guiding theory of the study - the Self-worth Motivation Theory.
Based on the findings, it was recommended that schools institute mentoring
programs and educational guidance and curriculum developers strike a balance
between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced evaluation.
Description
A research thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of the degree of doctor of philosophy in the school of education of Kenyatta University, February 2016