ICAP 2018

The Relation Between Self-Control, Social Support, and Academic Achievement Among Turkish Adolescents

Asil Ali Özdoğru and Nadire Gülçin Yıldız

Students' achievement in school is determined by a variety of individual and social factors. Self-control and social support are two important factors for the school performance of adolescents throughout the world. This study aims to explain the relationships between self-control, social support, and academic achievement among Turkish high school students. Study sample consisted of 197 second and third year high school students, of which 52% was female and had an average age of 16,21. In addition to reporting their grade point average, students completed Turkish versions of Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Correlation analyses show that total BSCS score was significantly positively associated with GPA. While total MSPSS score was not significantly correlated with GPA, there were significant correlations between BSCS and MSPSS total scores as well as several subscale scores. Findings showed that self-control, but not social support, has a meaningful relation with academic achievement levels of Turkish adolescents. Observed relationships between self-discipline and impulsivity factors of self-control and family, friends, and significant other factors of perceived social support offer valuable points of discussion on adolescent development and education. Adolescents‘ levels of self-control and perceived social support are also known to predict behaviors related to addiction and engagement in crime. Programs that focus on preventing adolescents from such behaviors should focus on enhancing their self-control skills and social support systems.

Citation: Özdoğru, A. A., & Yıldız, N. G. (2018, June). The relation between self-control, social support, and academic achievement among Turkish adolescents. Paper presented at the 29th International Congress of Applied Psychology, Montréal, Canada.