The Relationship Among Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Training Performance at a Government-Funded Nuclear Operations Complex in East Tennessee

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among self-efficacy, self-esteem, and training performance. This study was similar to a study conducted by Mone, Baker, and Jeffries in 1995. Using college students, Mone et al. (1995) tried to determine which construct, self-efficacy or self-esteem, more accurately predicted academic success. This study's purpose was to determine if relationships existed among self-efficacy, self-esteem, and training performance in an industrial training situation using employees in the workplace.

A self-esteem and self-efficacy instrument along with a written test were used to gather data from the entire population (N=75) of workers at a government funded nuclear operations complex. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Instrument (SEI) measured self-esteem in this study. A Grade Self-Esteem Scale adopted from the study conducted by Mone et al. in 1995 measured self-efficacy in this study. A written post-test measured training performance.

Inferential statistics including correlation and regression was used to obtain the correlation among self-efficacy, self-esteem, and training performance. Using an SPSS Statistical Analysis program, a Pearson r correlation was obtained for the sample population among self-efficacy, self-esteem, and training performance.

Findings disclosed that there was a significant positive relationship between self-esteem and training performance. There was also a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy and training performance. Finally, the findings disclosed that there was a significant positive relationship between self-esteem and self-efficacy.