DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2014.v02i05.023

Pages: 739-752

Low pass rates in secondary schools, a phenomenon that is of great concern to learners, parents, educators and policy makers prompted the study. Earlier studies have attributed low pass rates to human, school and material factors. Different strategies have been implemented to reverse the trend but the problem persists. It was against this background that this study was carried out to examine the role of the physical self-concept, a personality variable in the academic achievement agenda. A quantitative methodology using the Like art rating scale was employed to determine the correlation between the physical self-concept and academic achievement. Results from the study demonstrated a positive and significant relationship between the physical self-concept and academic achievement. Correlations were also computed to determine the possible influence of moderator variables such as gender, grade or form, school location and type, age and type of school attendance. The study concluded that learners’ physical well-being, school location and type of attendance may have something to do with their performance in school. More research was needed with a bigger sample and in different parts of the country as well as with pupils of different ages and cultural backgrounds involved in sporting activities.