Role of Psycho-social Factors on Academic Performance of Tribal and Non-Tribal High School Students

The present study examined the effects of cultural identity and gender on academic anxiety, self-concept and academic performance of high school tribal and non-tribal adolescent students. The research adopted a 2 (Cultural identity) x 2 (Gender) factorial design. The sample consisted of 200 subjects, 100 tribal and 100 non-tribal high school students. There were 50 boys and 50 girls each from the tribal and non-tribal category. Results revealed that girls experienced higher academic anxiety than boys and non-tribal students had better self-concept than their tribal counterparts. In academics boys performed better than the girls. Moreover, a significant positive relationship between academic anxiety and self-concept of tribal students indicated that in spite of having higher self-concept, tribal students experienced greater academic anxiety. Results were interpreted in terms of differential exposure and experiences to socio-cultural as well as educational practices prevalent in tribal andnon-tribal societies.