Honors Program
University Honors
Date of Award
5-2022
Thesis Professor(s)
Dr. Julia Dodd
Thesis Professor Department
<--College of Arts and Sciences-->
Thesis Reader(s)
N/A
Abstract
Researchers have explored the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on academic performance from elementary years to young adulthood. In this study, we explored the relationship between ACEs and academic performance in high school and academic student self-perception, and the further role that community or high school extra-curricular involvement may play in this relationship. In this study, we hypothesize that participants with higher ACEs will have poorer academic performance than those with lower ACEs. Secondly, we hypothesize that students with higher ACEs will have a lower academic self-concept than students with lower ACEs. Thirdly, we hypothesize that community or extra-curricular involvement in high school will buffer the effect of ACEs on GPA. Finally, we hypothesize that this extra-curricular involvement will also buffer the effect of ACEs on academic self-concept. Using surveys through the REDCap platform, data was collected from 75 East Tennessee State University students above the age of 18. Using SPSS software, we ran correlations to determine the relationship between ACEs on both GPA and academic self-concept. There was no significant correlation between ACEs and GPA or ACEs and academic self-concept scores. Moderation was conducted through SPSS PROCESS to determine whether total involvement could moderate the effects of ACEs on GPA or academic self-concept. There was no significant moderation in the model predicting GPA. In the model predicting academic self-concept, however, ACEs did emerge as a significant predictor of academic self-concept, although extra-curricular involvement did not. Further, extra-curricular involvement did emerge as a significant moderator, such that the negative relationship between ACEs and academic self-concept was no longer significant at mean or high levels of extra-curricular involvement. In other words, ACE scores only predicted poorer academic self-concept for individuals with low levels of extra-curricular involvement. Results and limitations suggest future research on the relationship between ACEs on academic self-confidence and total extra-curricular involvement.
Publisher
East Tennessee State University
Document Type
Honors Thesis - Open Access
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
brown, emily and Dodd, Julia, "The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Academic Performance and Student Self-Perception" (2022). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 710. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/710
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.