Effects of Self-Esteem Intervention Programs on At-Risk Behaviors of Rural Elementary School Students 1

The purpose of this review of literature is to describe implications and effectiveness of promoting self-esteem enhancing programs in schools as a means of increasing academic achievement and decreasing problem behaviors. Older over-arching and generally accepted theories suggest that increasing self-esteem in students will result in an increase of academic achievement which can lower negative behaviors. Results and conclusions from longitudinal and multidimensional studies indicated that confounding factors, such as socioeconomic structures and family functioning, may have a greater effect on achievement and reducing problem behaviors than self-esteem. Recommendations for increasing academic success and lowering at-risk behavior of students should include programs and services that improve socioeconomic family structures and those that help to diminish effects of poor family functioning. Effects of Self-Esteem Intervention Programs on At-Risk Behaviors of Rural III Elementary School Students Chapter I: Introduction Does increasing self-esteem, via intervention programs, have positive effects on at-risk behaviors of rural elementary school students? Low self-esteem, otherwise known as LSE, is considered by many to be a widespread disorder which affects millions of men, woman and more over children. Self-esteem or self-worth is simply an individual’s evaluation of him or herself as worthy. Children attend school throughout the world to learn the academic foundations that will carry them into a future rich with opportunity, but in many instances, students who suffer from LSE are unable to meet the goals and objectives of schools they attend. Certain at-risk behaviors, such as violence, delinquency, gang involvement, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use, dropping out of school teen suicide, bulimia, depression, loneliness, and academic failure have been associated with students who suffer from LSE (Leary, 1999; Rosenberg et. al. 1989). Low self-esteem has long been identified as a variable that could affect these at-risk behaviors and achievement issues. According to Jessor, (1991) “Risk behaviors do not only jeopardize physical health, however. They also have psychological and social outcomes, in that they can interfere with the accomplishment of normal developmental tasks and the fulfillment of expected social roles.” Therefore, safe-guarding and bolstering of self-esteem has been a common thread in under-achieving districts as they attempt to “Race to the Top” and to meet “Yearly adequate progress” for all students. Statement of the Problem Intervention programs to reduce at-risk behaviors in rural elementary school settings are no exception and are widely accepted and readily implemented throughout districts. Though Effects of Self-Esteem Intervention Programs on At-Risk Behaviors of Rural IV Elementary School Students these programs exist, it is not clear whether or not they produce desired outcomes such as raising academic achievement and/or reducing these at-risk behaviors. Schools still continue, in light of this question, to adopt a variety of curricula that provide specialist provisions for an individual or offer enhancement strategies that intend to bridge lows in self-esteem across an entire class or school. Poor academic functioning is one of many at-risk behaviors which are typically associated with low self-esteem (Leary 1999; Jessor 1991). Self-esteem, academic achievement, and other at-risk behaviors are extremely interconnected. Therefore, investigating relationships between low self-esteem and at-risk behaviors, such as academic achievement, schools can gain a greater understanding about effective self-esteem intervention measures that can indeed increase self-esteem, academic outcomes and/or lower other at-risk behaviors. More specifically this review aims to determine if self-esteem interventions can decrease at-risk behaviors such as inattentiveness which leads to poor academic performance. One might not be surprised, in light of these implications and the race to meet objectives, to find an immense body of research regarding self-esteem. Efficacy of self-esteem interventions. Recent political movements have encouraged efforts to increase achievement and thus schools have been led to revisit long-standing assumptions from 1970’s research regarding correlations between low self-esteem and student achievement. Low self-esteem data from recent decades has emerged and threatens to undermine the plausibility of previous theories that support bolstering self-esteem as a means for raising student achievement. One group of researchers suggests, “Identifying the processes that link selfesteem to adjustment outcomes can not only inform theoretical research but also help in developing sound intervention strategies” (Caspi, Donnellan, Moffitt, Poulton, Robins, Trzesniewski, 2006, p. 388). Proper analysis of self-esteem interventions on at risk-behaviors of Effects of Self-Esteem Intervention Programs on At-Risk Behaviors of Rural V Elementary School Students rural elementary students could help to shed light on feasibility and effectiveness of allocating limited school funding as a means for increasing achievement scores and lowering at-risk behaviors. High stakes educational mandates that require achievement for all students compel districts to find strategies or programs such as self-esteem building to diminish problem behaviors and increase academic achievement, but an overabundance of studies, both old and new, provide mixed findings that suggests self-esteem enhancement in itself is not as effective at raising achievement and lowering problem behaviors as some researchers have claimed. The following analysis is intended to help determine to whether or not self-esteem intervention programs can effectively decrease at-risk behaviors such as such as violence, delinquency, gang involvement, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use, teen suicide, bulimia, depression, loneliness, school drop-out, and academic failure? .