Gender, self-esteem and self-efficacy as predictors of academic achievement among college of education students in Mampong Municipality, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Abstract

This study aimed at finding out which of the three independent variables (gender, self-esteem and self- efficacy) greatly predicts academic achievement among college of education students in Ghana. The population for the study was students from St. Monica‘s College of Education and Mampong Technical College of Education in the Asante Mampong Municipality. A Sample size of 400 level 200 students were selected for the study. A descriptive survey design was carried out using questionnaire as the main instrument for data collection. The data gathered were statistically analyzed using frequencies and percentages, means and standard deviation as well as multiple-regression analysis, Pearson‘s product moment correlation and independent samples t-tests with version 21 of the Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) software was used. The study found that there was no significant difference in Academic achievement of male and female students in the colleges of education in Ghana. It was revealed that students had high self -esteem and self-efficacy in their academic achievement. It was self-esteem that greatly predicted Academic Achievement of teacher trainees out of the three independent variables. The study recommends that counselling units in the colleges of education should organize intermittent guidance programmes focusing on empowering students to continue building up their self-esteem though the students had high level of self-esteem. Both males and females should be admitted into programmes aimed at improving the academic performance of students since there was no difference in their Achievement.