Confidence level among students studying in CBSE and ICSE schools is marginally higher than those enrolled under state boards, a new survey has claimed. The survey was conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and edtech company LEAD. A total of 2,807 students were surveyed in six metro cities and as many non-metro cities spread across the four major regions of India.

"Thirty-six per cent of students have indicated top-bracket confidence levels (81-100)," the survey claimed, adding that students studying in CBSE and ICSE schools have marginally higher confidence than state board students. "However, in Delhi, the confidence index is marginally higher for state board students," it further said. The results have been divided into four categories: Aspirant, Leader, All-rounder and Influencer.

"At an all-India level, one in every two respondent students is in the all-rounder segment, with a little over one-third of students finding space in the influencer segment. Interestingly, the trend is similar in metro and non-metro cities, although the size of the influencer segment in metros (44 pc) is significantly higher when compared to non-metro students (28 pc)," it said.

The survey took into account five factors that contribute to confidence-building in students – conceptual understanding, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and exposure to opportunities. "The study captures students' ratings on 20 statements that focus on activities done in schools. Activities were rotated and each statement was given equal weightage to eliminate order bias," the report said.

"Self-confidence in children has never been more important. It is the foundation of all success and achievement in life. It also impacts academic motivation and educational outcomes," it added. In terms of region-wise comparison, west India (81) has topped the confidence index, while the south (75) and the east (74) regions hover near the national average and the north (70) region comes last, the survey said.

Hyderabad has emerged as the top city in terms of confidence index with 87 per cent, followed by Delhi at 80, Mumbai and Kolkata at 78, Bengaluru at 75 and Chennai at 71, it added. "It was also observed that the confidence index of students in classes 9 and 10 (75 per cent) is only slightly higher when compared to students in classes 6-8 (74 per cent)," the report claimed.