Effect of Self-Perception on Academic Performance - Essay Example

One observation related to the reason for such cases is the initiative of a person to work and excel in specific areas. One student who is always reviewing math problems tends to join activities that can enhance the skills he has. On the other hand, the student who has more innate logical and mathematical skills achieves relatively lower marks. A realization regarding the matter came up when I personally inquired the reason why the student perceived to have more potential fails to enhance his skills and he gave a response that was based on his self-perception.

He perceived that he is not capable of excelling in the subject matter. Self-perception then became the focus of personal reflection. This is the manner by which a person sees himself. This can affect the different aspects of his behavior and attitude. Generally, it can affect a person’s performance. If the person perceives himself to be less than what he really is, his success and achievements are limited and hindered. On the other hand, when a person perceives himself to be more than his innate skills and talents, he can excel.

This is due to the person’s drive to work hard and become an expert in the field or subject matter he is interested in. In the study by DaRos-Voseles, Collins, Onwuegbuzie and Jiao (2008), the effect of self-perception on the performance of graduate students had been explored. This is focused on the self-perception which is defined to predict the achievement of a person or a group. It is referred to as academic self-perception or self-concept. The paper presented the different categories of college students’ self-perception which include competencies or abilities, and social relationships.

Self-perception then was noted to predict the academic success or competencies of a student (p.255). The study concluded that self-perception is a powerful and influential factor in the performance of a person. In addition, self-perception can also be affected by social factors such as the perception of peers (p.258). Based on the study, there are two points that can be integrated into the observation. One is the powerful prophetic effect of self-perception to the academic performance of a student.

Another is the effect of the peers on the self-concept of a person. In relation to the observation, the student who is innately skilled in Mathematics focuses his time and skills to other activities, thus, he is not enhancing his skills to its optimum. Another is the fact that most of his peers are more interested in other areas and interests. Such cases wherein self-perception can limit the success of a person can be considered as a waste of talent and skills. It is then important to make every student person realize his or her own strengths to enhance and develop them.

There are different ways to work and resolve the effects of self-perception on the performance of students. One way is through activities that can help the students discover their skills and affirm them. Another is through group activities which can help improve the confidence and leadership skills of every student. Upon gaining confidence, self-perception can improve.