DefinePK

Abstract

School drop-out is one of the major concerns that hamper youth’s progress in professional setting. Truancy and run away from school is leading cause for such drop-outs. The present study was aimed to examine the role of truancy in academic self-concept, self-esteem, and academic achievement through a comparison between truant and punctual students. A purposive sample of 200 students (Truant = 100, Punctual = 100) participated in the study. Age range was 12-18 years. Urdu versions of Academic self-concept (Ahmed, 1986) and Self-Esteem Scales Questionnaire, (Rifai, Ward, Borden, & Wilson, 1995) were used. Results showed that punctual students had significantly superior academic achievement than truant students. Academic self-concept has positive relationship with the self-esteem of the students regardless of being truant and punctual. Self-competence, self-acceptance, and academic self-competence as domains of self-esteem were found predictors self-concept in truant students, whiles self-acceptance and social and physical self-acceptance were significant predictors of self-concept for punctual students. Truancy/punctuality did not play a moderating for self-esteem in predicting academic self-concept. Limitations, implications of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed. This study would be beneficial for educational and clinical setting to enhance self-esteem to improve upon academic success of students.