Impact of Self-Concept and Classroom Behaviours on Academic Performance of Junior High School Learners in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District, Ghana

Abstract

This study examined how self-concept and classroom behaviour influenced junior high school learners’ academic performance in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District. This study used a descriptive design and adopted a quantitative approach. The accessible population comprised learners from six JHSs in two circuits of the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District. The study sampled 217 learners using a simple random sampling procedure where the “yes” and ‘no” were recorded on paper and placed in a container for learners to pick randomly to be selected. A 44-item questionnaire on self-concept and classroom behaviour with ‘r’ of .85 and .89 respectively was used to collect data. Frequencies, linear multiple regression, means, percentages, and standard deviations were used to analyse the data. The study found that JHS learners in the district have positive social, physical, and educational self-concepts. It was also found that the learners exhibited impulsive and aggressive behaviours in the classroom as well as timid behaviour. The study revealed that the social, physical, and educational self-concepts of the learners do not influence their academic performance. Finally, the study found that the impulsive, aggressive, and timid behaviours that the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District learners exhibit do not influence their academic performance. Based on the findings, it was recommended that counsellors and policymakers should design appropriate programmes and therapies to strengthen the positive self-concepts learners possess.