Dwelling into the Role of Ahamkara in Academic Performance: A Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

A student's academic performance is conditioned on factors within the pupil or outside, in the environment. The Western body of knowledge emphasizes the positive role of ‘Self’ and related variables such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and others on the academic performance of students. An Indian counterpart to the concept of self is ‘Aham’. The present study aimed at qualitatively understanding the role of Ahamkara in the academic performance of school students. For this purpose, a semi-structured interview technique was utilised for data collection. A total of 11 interviews were recorded and transcribed. Thematic Network analysis framework forwarded by Attride-Sterling (2001) was utilized for data analysis. Based on the analysis 4 global themes emerged. They are: Formation and maintenance of a sense of self through Identification; Active engagement of Self in the learning process leads to growth; Ignorance of Self, a path to failure; and Failure an opportunity to maintain the optimal sense of self.