Theory

My current working theory regarding self-worth and personal and academic development is that, while self-worth has been shown to be highly dependent upon ability, whether physical or academic, a collective belief in the inherent worth of each individual independent of present sets of abilities or external circumstances is more resilient to comparative and actual changes therein. Furthermore, it has been widely proven that students with a flexible-growth mindset are more prone to view challenges as opportunities to learn than those with a fixed-growth mindset, and it is my experience that students are most quickly and readily able to adopt the former when they are learning in an environment that promotes and supports the individual worth and value of each student.

Jan P. Piek, Grant B. Baynam, Nicholas C. Barrett. The relationship between fine and
gross motor ability, self-perceptions and self-worth in children and adolescents. Human Movement Science, Volume 25, Issue 1, 2006, 65-75

Phares, V., Steinberg, A.R. & Thompson, J.K. Gender Differences in Peer and Parental
Influences: Body Image Disturbance, Self-Worth, and Psychological Functioning in Preadolescent Children. Journal of Youth and Adolescence (2004) 33: 421-429

Jacqueline Granleese & Stephen Joseph (1994) Reliability of the Harter Self-Perception 
Profile for Children and Predictors of Global Self-Worth, The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 155:4, 487-492, DOI: 10.1080/00221325.1994.9914796