School Connectedness and Students’ Self-Esteem in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Self-esteem is a central component of adolescent development, influencing students’ motivation, learning, and psychosocial adjustment. In the school context, students’ self-esteem is shaped by the quality of their relationships with teachers, peers, and the overall school climate. School connectedness, which refers to the degree to which students perceive themselves accepted, valued, supported and safe at their school setting, has also been cited as one of the most important predictors of self-esteem and academic achievement. In Kenya, however and more specifically in the multicultural urban environment of the Nairobi County, the correlation between school connectedness and the self-esteem of students has not been well studied in spite of the long standing issues of indiscipline, lack of engagement and low academic motivation in state-owned secondary schools. This research paper reviewed the association between school connectedness and self-esteem of students in the public secondary schools within the Nairobi County. The study adopted the correlational design, using quantitative methods guided by the Ecological Systems Theory developed by Bronfenbrenner and Self-Determination Theory. The respondents sampled consisted of 381 students and 16 class teachers of the public secondary schools of the Nairobi County in the target population. Standardized questionnaires were used to gather data, which included Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale to determine self esteem in students and validated measures to determine school connectedness. The process of data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression at the level of significance 0.05. The findings revealed that the connection between school connectedness and self esteem of students was positive and significant. Students who perceived themselves to have greater support through the teachers, good relationship with their colleagues and that they belong to their schools reported greater levels of self esteem. The lack of relational support and school attachment, on the other hand, was associated with low self-worth. These results indicate the importance of school connectedness in influencing positive self-perceptions among adolescents therefore, guaranteeing positive involvement in academics and emotional well-being. The researcher comes up with a conclusion that through the application of practices that are inclusive, good teacher-student relationships, and student-peer relationships, school connectedness will be reinforced to facilitate the advancement of the self-esteem of students in the Nairobi County. It proposes integration of relational and psychosocial factors in the educational interventions along with academic reforms in the school management, policy makers and teachers. By enhancing emotionally safe and supportive school climates holistically, public secondary schools are able to enhance confidence, resilience and long term academic student performance.