Causes of Academic Failure

First is fear. This demonstrates in two different ways:

Afraid of failing – the student is putting forth every bit of effort to try really hard and they still don’t do very well. Opposite of failing is the fear of success. I know this seems really strange but when you have a child who is extremely gifted or very intelligent in one aspect or another they really are going to be self-conscious about it at times. They have a fear of success because they don’t want people don’t say “Wow, you are just so smart.” They don’t want that kind of attention.

Next is apathy and quite frankly apathy is probably one of the worst problems there is because it’s really difficult to motivate a student who simply doesn’t care. Parents and educators need to look at ways to motivate their students or children and to excite them to want to learn.

Lastly is just laziness and this counts for 1/3 of their failure to rise to potential because they really to be successful. They want to be on the honor roll. They want recognition. Sometimes, lazy is an outward manifestation of another, more deeply rooted reason.

We’re going to look at some of the other causes of academic failure as well such as self-esteem.

The student may have too little self-esteem or too much self-esteem.

Too little self-esteem: What students seem to understand is that they just feel like they can’t do it. They just don’t think that they have what it takes.

However, having too much self-esteem is always a problem as well. It’s the thought of: “I’m better than others.” “I already know this. Why should I try.” “I shouldn’t have to show my work on my paper.” “My teachers demand too much.” Because they are so confident in themselves, they don’t really care to show forth the effort.

Simply the student is dependent on other people to make a decision for them, to tell them what they need. They are dependent on simply having someone do it for them because they have become too dependent on someone else to rescue them.  In one case with twins in a classroom, one twin always spoke for the other twin. Although the second twin was extremely intelligent, he became highly dependent upon his twin to answer questions for him.

They simply don’t know how to persevere. This is prevalent today and attributed to technology. We sit down and what happens? A show is turned on YouTube or maybe Netflix with anywhere between two minutes to 30 minutes or so.  The viewer is introduced to the problems or obstacles which are going to be complicated or overcome quickly within the confines of the show. Parents and educators need to teach that life really isn’t immediate, but it’s a marathon. Show not to expect a solution immediately or that they’re going to overcome or complete something right away.

Preparation is a difficult one sometimes because it is often mistaken for laziness. Often, our students are set up for failure because someone forgot to teach the basics such as how to study, note-taking skills, reading from a textbook, etc. I had a marvelous teaching in 7th or 8th grade who specifically said “Here’s our lecture notes.” We went through the lecture and she specifically outlined an entire lecture in Roman numerals.  “Roman numeral one. Now increase that. Next line …”  Moving on through college, I listened during lectures to find those outlining patterns.

We need to help our students to be able to understand what is needed as basic skills to move to the next level whether this the ove from high school or higher education.  Sadly, this lack of teaching basic skills has necessitated a need for remedial education or remedial courses to outfit students with required skills and attributes for successful learning.

Simply they have poor time management skills. This is also part of the preparation piece which parents and educators need to invest in. Students, many times, don’t understand one how long it’s going to take to do something. They may not comprehend exactly what it might entail. As a child gets older, add the simplicity of time management to complete assignments and studying to adding social life, extracurriculars, jobs, etc.  We want to be able to help them to effectively manage their time.

Next is a lack of focus or just having too many distractions. This is a huge problem with social media, isn’t it? The other day my husband and I went out for a date. We sat down in the waiting room. Waiting for our table. We were waiting for probably about 20 minutes until our table is ready at the steakhouse. As we sat there, we watched other couples come in, sit down, and pull out their cell phones. They started skimming through social media or news feeds. They didn’t talk to each other. We found it interesting that they were more interested in what was on their screen than each other even though they were out on a date!

Giving your student an opportunity to turn off the technology. One of the tips that I share with my online students, turn off your email and your social media while studying online. Concentrate instead on learning what is on your screen. Look around your child or student. Could distractions be detrimental in their academic progress?

Procrastination really is a difficult one. It’s also very pertinent to look and see how they’re working. Some students may not be procrastinating due to their lack of focus or time management, some may simply be procrastinating as it is part of their personality type.

Some personalities are interested in having a task list. They want things done by a certain time frame.. They’re going to be good at making sure that everything is broken down into smaller, manageable steps whereas the other personality types are going to be more energized by that last minute push.

This is a cause of today’s generation. We are seeing more and more examples of this. It’s almost as if people owe them. I frequently saw this in higher education. Students would come up to me and say, “but I already know this.” “I deserved a better grade.” My response usually sounded like, “Well, why did you deserve a better grade?” “Where’s the assignment?”  “Here is the rubric. This is what you were told.” “Does your assignment meet the requirements? [Answer from student was usually a nod or an excuse.] So, tell me why it is that you feel entitled to the better grade?” The answer was the same. “I already knew the information.”

Students need to understand that the grade is not entitlement but a demonstration of knowledge. Did they demonstrate that they knew the information?  We need to help them to understand that they do need to put forth the effort. This will bring them to an understanding of work ethic.

Lastly, thinking skills. Critical thinking. Reasoning. Quantitative understanding. Problem-solving. This is actually one of the more requested skills within a new work environment. Employers are desperate for employees to be able to think critically and think analytically.

To be able to problem solve, individuals can be creative. This is really one of the most efficient areas that we have.  We need to be able to create a challenge that students can analyze the situations to intuitively thinking critically think inside the box outside the box and to be able to implement tools. Not just newly acquired information and tools, but to be able to effectively integrate all their abilities and knowledge.

Understanding the causes of academic failure opens methods to determine the reasons for the lack of success.

By Tracy Atkinson

Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Midwest with her husband and spirited long-haired miniature dachshunds. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and a master’s in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners and learning styles. She speaks at conferences on learning styles and has published several titles, including MBTI Learning Styles: A Practical Approach, The Art of Learning Journals, Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8,   The Personal Pursuit of Perfection and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners. Check out her online courses at: Udemy.