Developing Strong Self-Esteem in K-12 Students
Experiences and Relationships that Promote a Healthy Sense of Self
Apr 6, 2009
Poor self-esteem can affect children and teens well into adulthood, impacting the decisions they make and their enjoyment of school, family, and friendships. While many classroom programs and materials have been designed to build students’ self-esteem, they have met with limited success because self-esteem is not something that can be given to a student, but is something that must be developed internally through a strong self-concept and sense of self-efficacy.
Self-Concept and Its Relationship to Self-Esteem
Though these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, it is important to note their true meanings and their relationship to one another. Self-concepts are based on how people view themselves. For example, a child with limited sports experience may have a self-concept that includes a lack of athletic ability, which is basically an observation, and not necessarily good or bad. His self-concept and perceived lack of athleticism is simply who the child sees himself to be.
However, if the child values athleticism, or is surrounded by people who do, then he is likely to have a low opinion of who he is, based on his perceived lack of competence. Self-esteem, which decreases when someone does not like who he perceives himself to be, is a direct result of a person’s feelings of capability in valued areas of life, in other words, his sense of self-efficacy.
The Role of Self-Efficacy
Dale Schunk (1991), a noted educational psychologist, says that self-efficacy is primarily developed through four sources: past experiences with success or failure; encouragement from a trusted adult; physiological cues, including the anxiety that occurs when faced with a difficult task and the exhilaration that comes with succeeding at it; and the modeling of a “can-do” attitude by one’s peers.
Because self-efficacy is based on whether or not students feel like they have what it takes to be successful, it can affect not only self-esteem, but motivation, initiative, effort, persistence, and the overall willingness to try new activities or learning tasks. Fortunately, there are several things educators and parents can do to help children feel more capable.
Raising Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem
- Help children set short- and long-term goals, discussing milestones they can use to gauge their growth and smaller successes, before the long-term goals are achieved.
- Be specific in drawing attention to small accomplishments, and helping children see how they lead to larger successes.
- Avoid hollow praise. Telling children that they’ve done well when they know they haven’t can make some feel distrustful and suspicious of any positive feedback.
- If a child is unsuccessful, talk with him about how he approached the task, what he felt he did well and what he will work on for next time.
- Build on each child’s strengths through cooperative learning activities that allow individuals to have a part in the group’s success.
- Encourage friendships with other children who have a “can-do” attitude, and provide experiences that allow each child to be the “expert”.
By focusing on helping children accomplish the things that are important to them, teachers and parents can build self-efficacy, which in turn, will develop a healthy, and lifelong, sense of self-esteem.
Further Reading
Berman, J. The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2007.
Schunk, Dale. (1991). “Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation.” Educational Psychologist, 26, p 207-232.
Schweiger, Ingrid. Self-Esteem for a Lifetime: Raising a Successful Child from the Inside Out. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2008.
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