Abstract

Present research identified the relationship among female public-school teachers self-esteem and assertive behavior. The purposes of the research were: Firstly to find out the degrees of self-esteem. Secondly to explore the level of assertiveness of school teachers. Thirdly to determine the correlation among school teachers' self-esteem and assertiveness. The total population of the study was comprised of overall 625 public school teachers from Tehsil Hazro, District Attock. Three hundred and thirteen female public-school teachers were included in the study as a sample. The researcher employed Rathus Assertiveness Schedule Questionnaire for measuring assertiveness and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale for calculating self-esteem. Using SPSS software, acquired data was examined by applying descriptive and inferential statistics. In terms of the level of the investigated features, there was some pattern. Assertiveness ratings were also greater for teachers with greater self-esteem compared to those of average and little self-esteem. All teacher groups exhibit this tendency.

Key Words

Assertiveness, Self-esteem, Correlation, SPSS, RAS, Rosenberg, Reliability, Validity, Internal Consistency

Introduction

A person's sense of overall value or their emotional assessment of their self-concept is called self-esteem. When someone feels competent, valuable, and capable, their self-esteem is positive. A person with a healthy self-esteem has mastered the art of minimizing weaknesses and maximizing strengths. The individual accepts themselves. A person with strong self-esteem accepts other people's perspectives, suffers less anxiety, and performs well in social settings. (Shrestha, S. 2019)

Self-esteem is ones attitude toward his/her characteristics, capacities, abilities, and flaws (herself). It is a component of emotional self-image, or a collection of many beliefs and ideas that a person applies to himself. Self-respect and self-acceptance are closely related to self-esteem. (Anna, R. T., Agata, N., & Jolanta, G. 2015).

Self-esteem is viewed in psychology just as essential to mental health and stability as assertiveness. Assertiveness is the capacity to honestly, appropriately, respectfully, and directly communicate our thoughts and feelings. It can be challenging at first, but experience makes it easier. Both parties are essential in this communication. Assertiveness is reportedly a very helpful trait in corporate communication. It exhibited as general honesty and nobility. As a sign of mutual respect, assertiveness served as the foundation for fair performance (Caruso, A., 2004). 

To Sue Bishop (2010) assertiveness as a whole is the philosophy of life that includes positive thinking, positive self-image, and a system of attitudes and feelings toward oneself or others. Erbay, E., & Akçay, S. (2013) defined assertiveness as the ability to freely express and defend one's opinions, desires, and demands without violating other people's space. Anna, R. T., Agata, N., & Jolanta, G. (2015) defined that an assertive attitude values oneself and others calls for respect and appropriate protection of their rights and dignity. An assertive approach works to build relationships with others on trust and sincerity. In order to respect the sentiments, attitudes, ideas, and desires of the other person, assertive behavior requires that one express their feelings toward others as well as their opinions or desires. As opposed to aggressive behavior, it makes use of one's own rights without infringing on those of others. 

Being assertive is essential for living a successful life whether that success is in careers, social lives, or other areas. In particular, adolescents are expected to be assertive enough because this is the time when people are continuing their education and preparing for adult roles and responsibilities as well. Students can develop their communication skills by being more assertive. This ability gives pupils extra time to study and accomplish well in their academic endeavors (Huurre, Aro, Rahkonen, & Komulainen, 2006).

As teachers act as the influencers and it might be easier to make decisions when teachers are there, and observational learning helps students acquire attitudes and tactics in addition to specific social behavior patterns (Martínez et al. 2016). In particular, the teacher is regarded as one of the best role models for young children as they develop their social skills. (Martínez et al. 2016). 

Statement of the Problem

Self-esteem and assertiveness helps to develop a healthy personality free of regrets and complexes.  There are various incidents in school where a teacher or a student's lack of assertiveness causes them to struggle. Since it was thought that teachers were best able to develop attributes like vision, determination, self-actualization, and initiative in their students, special focus was given to the development of assertive skills in these teachers. For that very reason, it was necessary to know their level of self-esteem and assertiveness. It was of great importance to find whether there any relationship between these two or not. So, this research was conducted to investigate the levels of government school teachers' self-esteem and assertiveness and their relationships too.

Aims of the Research

The aims of the research were to: 

1. Examine the level of self-esteem among public school teachers.

2. Determine the degree of assertiveness among public school teachers.

3. Analyze the correlation between public school teachers' self-esteem and assertiveness.

Hypotheses of study

Hypotheses were as follows: 
Hypothesis H0: The teacher's self-esteem and assertiveness do not significantly correlate with one another.
Hypothesis H1: The teacher's self-esteem and assertiveness are significantly correlated. 

Literature Review

A literature review on self-esteem was conducted by Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger, and Vohs (2003). They reported the two key advantages of having high self-esteem are improved activity and health. Low self-esteem may prevent the link between mirror life events and satisfaction, according to Lyons and Chamberlain (1994). Bernard, Hutchison, Lavin, and Pennington in 1996 found a substantial link between the two. The relationship between self-reliance, self-worth, optimism, stability, self-worth, and change. Additionally, all of these ideas share the concept of wellness.  

Assertiveness has been regarded as a particularly beneficial trait in athletes' professional communications. It showed up as integrity, dignity, and regard for the rights of partners in sporting activities. The foundation of fair play was assertiveness as a sign of respect for one another (Caruso, 2004, p. 3). This was the "fair combat" concept, which stressed cooperation and mutual sportsmanship rather than the unapproved use of clamps or other unfair strategies to cross the finish line (Havin & Krapachev, 1977).

Sue Bishop, 2010 emphasized the advantages of assertiveness as a tool for communication and the capacity for self-assertion, emphasizing that these abilities were not innate but rather developed over time via personal experience. As a result of engaging in the proper behavior, assertive abilities were developed and strengthened. 

According to the author, in order to assert oneself and so improve communication, one should actively participate in the process of changing behavior. Through the training that served as the cornerstone of assertive behaviors, a person gradually gained more control over his life, his own thoughts and emotions, and over a situation. The rewards of such self-development, according to Sue Bishop, were numerous, both personally and professionally. According to Sue Bishop, such self-development was difficult but had many advantages, both personally and in terms of interpersonal connections (Bishop, 2010, pp. 129-130).

Peneva, I., & Mavrodiev, S. (2013) explained "Assertiveness" as the term used to express identifying qualities of being able to speak up for yourself, your own positions, to accomplish your goals, to overcome obstacles, to be strong without violating the rights of others, and to be able to manage your violent impulses. Self-esteem is a quality that may be developed. It is necessary for achieving self-actualization. 

Assertiveness is an essential learnt interpersonal communication skill that enables individuals to meet the social demand of society. Assertive people be polite but firm in their requests as they care about the feelings of other people (Sitota, G. 2018). Assertiveness is defined as defending one's rights without compromising those of others. It encourages a sense of independence and self-assurance. It boosts our self-esteem and makes us feel good about ourselves. (Shrestha, S. 2019). Assertiveness is a mode of communication and a skill that can be learnt.  It is characterized by a statement made with confidence that upholds the speaker's rights or point of view without threatening the rights of others.  To Parray, W. M., Kumar, S., & David, B. E. (2020), assertive people lead happier, more sincere, and less manipulative lives.

36 students, ranging in age from 19 to 53, were utilized by Lefevre and West (1981) to investigate the connections between assertiveness and five psychological identity factors. According to the study, self-esteem and assertiveness are significantly correlated. 

Research Methodology

Participants

A total of 625 female elementary and secondary school teachers from Tehsil Hazro, District Attock (Pakistan) made up the research population. A total of 313 participants made up the study's sample, which represented the population.

In this research, a survey was carried out among a group of teachers chosen at random. To evaluate and explain the results, descriptive statistics were used.

Research Instrument Tools

The personal information form included the candidate's name, designation, age, marital status, family type, place of residence, academic qualification, major subject, present school/station, markaz, designation specification, and experience in years in the govt. sector and with current designation.  

The level of self-esteem of school teachers was determined by utilizing the 10 items of Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the level of assertiveness was determined using the 30 items on the 1973 Rathus Assertiveness Scale.

Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale

A one-dimensional Likert scale consists of 10 items was used that evaluates one's total sense of self-esteem by assessing both positive and negative thoughts about oneself. On a 4-point Likert scale, answers to each question have 4 options i.e. strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. Internal consistency is between.77 and.88, whereas reliability of test-retest series from 0.82 to 0.85. Fleming and Courtney (1984) stated that the coefficient alpha was.88 and the reliability of the tests was .82 after a week.

The Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (1978)

Participants ranked each scenario statement from —3 to +3 for a set of 30 situational statements that make up the standardized tool. A total assertiveness score was generated as a consequence, and it ranged from —90 (least assertive) to +90 (most assertive). The instrument was distributed to each randomly selected teacher. 

The RAS is the standardized scale and its test-retest reliability was 0.78 over an 8-week period, and its split-half reliability was 0.77. The RAS has a strong foundation in criteria as seen by the measurements of assertiveness, aggression, assertiveness, and self-assurance and the RAS scores

Results

Table 1

	N	Min	Max	M	SD
Self-esteem scores Assertiveness scores	313 313	11 -55	36 57	21.20 -3.67	3.510 15.101

Using descriptive statistics, the results of measuring assertiveness and self-esteem levels were tabulated (Standard deviation, mean, frequency, minimum and maximum scores). The associations between assertiveness and self-esteem was examined through the Pearson product-moment correlation technique. 

Self-esteem has a mean and standard deviation of 21.20 and 3.510 as presented in Table 1, while assertiveness has a mean and standard deviation of -3.67 and 15.101. The sample's self-esteem scores vary from 11 to 36. The assertiveness scale has a range of -55 to 57, which is in the middle of the usual range of -90 to +90. 

Table 2

Percentile of American sample	Scores of school teachers	N	%
15 30 45 60 75 99	-55 to -17 -16 to -4 -3 to 6 7 to 15 17 to 23 30 to 57	50 121 76 32 24 10	15.97 38.65 24.28 10.22 7.65 3.2

From the sample of 313, 121 (38.65%) have assertive scores in the range -16 to 4, it exceeded that of 30% of the women of the American sample. 10 from the sample of 313 (3.2%) have assertive scores in the range 30 to 57, it exceeded that of 99% of the women of the American sample. 

Table 3

	Low	Average	High
Scores range Teachers Percentage	10-20 127 (40.57%)	21-30 183 (58.47%)	31-40 3 (0.96%)

 127 teachers from the sample of 313 (40.57%) have low levels of self-esteem, 183 teachers from the sample of 313 (58.47%) have average level of self-esteem, while just 3 teachers from the sample of 313 (0.96%) have a high level of self-esteem. 
Hypothesis H01: The self-esteem and assertiveness of teachers do not significantly correlate with   one another. 
Hypothesis HA1: The self-esteem and assertiveness of teachers are significantly correlated. 



Table 4

Measures	N	P	R
Self-esteem and assertiveness	313	<.001	.275

Figure 1



According to Table 3 (r=.275, N=313, p<0.001), assertiveness and self-esteem were positively correlated. While the estimated r value of.275 was greater than the table value of correlation, which was 0.129 at 0.01. Additionally, at a 0.05 level of significance, the estimated r value of.275 was higher than the reported value of 0.149. The r value indicated as assertiveness climbed, self-esteem also increased, made clear the positive relationship between self-esteem and assertiveness. (Figure 4.1)  

The association between self-esteem and assertiveness actually had a p value of <.001, which essentially just implied of being very little p value as could be seen from the table. Because of this, the correlation's r value in the SPSS table had two asterisks, indicating that it was significant at 0.01 and also at 0.05, this association was statistically different from zero. Keep in mind that a positive number denoted a direct correlation between the two variables, linking high scores on one to higher scores on the other.

Discussion

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the self-esteem and assertiveness of public school teachers as well as the relationship between these two variables. Objectives of the study were: Firstly to assess teachers' levels of self-esteem. Secondly finding out the level of assertiveness of public school teachers. Thirdly to determine the relationship between public school teachers' self-esteem and assertiveness.

Using the data, the correlation was determined between public school teachers' self-esteem and their level of assertiveness. The two variables were discovered to be positively connected. It was in line with earlier studies that demonstrated a high correlation between self-esteem and assertiveness. For instance, correlation of assertiveness and self-esteem was found to be significant with each other in a study by Ghodrati et al. (2016) of female secondary school students. 

According to Yamagishi M., (2007)  there is a positive connection between self-esteem and assertive behavior. Karagozoglu S. (2008) assessed the degree of self-esteem and assertiveness among last year's nursing students, students recorded the highest on self-esteem and assertive behavior. Unal S. (2012), also identified that there is a favorable association between assertive behavior and self-esteem. 

The possibility that assertive individuals will benefit psychologically and emotionally more than those with low levels of assertiveness may be the rationale for the confident association of self-esteem and assertive behavior. Positive mental states can be sustained by assertive people because they can manage their environment well. When a person accepts their imperfections while still recognizing their strengths and positive attributes, they will have good self-esteem.

This study will aid instructors in assessing and raising their levels of self-esteem and assertiveness, along with the relationship between the two. Administrators, trainers, curriculum developers, teachers, students, and the general public will all benefit from research.  

Conclusions

1) Most of the public school teachers (183) from the sample of 313 (58.47%) of the public teachers had an average level of self-esteem. Only three (3) from the sample of 313 (0.96%) of public teachers had a high level of self-esteem. 

2) The majority of the teachers (121) from the sample of 313 (38.65%) had assertive scores in the range of -16 to -4, it exceeded that of 30% of the women of the American sample. A minority of the teachers (only10) from the sample of 313 (3.2%) had assertive scores in the range 30 to 57, it exceeded that of 99% of the women of the American sample. 

3) The public school teachers self-esteem and assertiveness were positively correlated. 

Recommendations

1) The study focused on the association between self-esteem and assertiveness levels. To find out the goal-oriented significant results, it was advised to conduct further research on the relationship of assertiveness and self-esteem with different demographic values, such as gender, age group, family type, teacher designation category, academics, job experience, economic, social or cultural contexts, and educational learning environment of schools.

2) Given the great importance of self-esteem and assertiveness, a thorough study with a diverse group of participants may be recommended to guarantee the validity of the findings. 

3) The investigator looked at all government school teachers, irrespective of their designations. The other researchers who are interested in this subject may choose from a variety of disciplines, including designations such as PSTs, ESTs, and SSTs, as well as the subject areas of their designations such as science and the arts, etc.

4) Due to time and financial restrictions, limited sample size was selected which could result in outcomes that may be less representative of the population as a whole and less generalizable. Future academics who are interested in studying this topic may select a wider sample of more tehsils from the district. To ensure that the findings can be used broadly, it is advisable to perform a study that spans a large geographic area.

5) The researcher recognized the limitations of the cross-sectional design with regard to the temporal relationship and assumed the casualness of the study's findings.

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