Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between cognitive dissonance and changes in academic self-esteem. Theoretical evidence, such as Aronson’s Self-Consistency Theory, reinforces the role of self-esteem in the cognitive dissonance process. However, despite extensive research on this theory, few extant studies have investigated how dissonance affects self-esteem, a key assumption within Aronson’s framework. This study employed statistical analyses to explore how cognitive dissonance predicts changes in academic self-esteem. A sample of thirty-five 11 th and 12 th -grade Early College Experience (ECE) students, enrolled in a statistics course, provided data on their cognitive dissonance levels through the difference between their actual and expected performance task scores. They also responded to the Academic Self-Esteem Scale, a seven-question, five-point Likert scale, to assess their academic self-esteem. After receiving their initial performance scores, they completed another survey, revealing the predictive impact of cognitive dissonance on the change in academic self-esteem. The study’s findings indicated that cognitive dissonance significantly predicted changes in academic self-esteem. This result empirically supports a key theoretical relationship within the Self-Consistency Theory, enhancing its credibility and implications. The discussion focuses on the psychological implications that Aronson’s theory offers, situating them within an academic context.
Source: Journal of High School Science
DOI: 10.64336/001c.140828
Author: Nicholas Bianchi
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W6902749133