Page 247 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 247
learning difficulties or education-related problems. In Slovenia, one such 247
programme is the PUM project – Project Learning for Young Adults. Howev-
er, it is not necessary for such programmes to start once youths have already
dropped out of school, it is better to address the issue while they are still part
of the educational system and to help them to better academic achievement.
When it comes to attempting to improve general academic achievement,
by means of measures that are related to school work only, it is also important
to voice some doubt about whether it is the right thing to place the sole focus
on the achievement students demonstrate during lessons. In doing so, the in-
formal and social experiences that children are exposed to at school (during
breaks, on the pitch) are left somewhat neglected (Blatchford, 2005). It there-
fore makes more sense to look for mechanisms that work outside of school
and try to use them to improve adolescents’ school performance. Some stud-
ies have revealed that in trying, for instance, to improve adolescents’ attitude
to school in general, an important segment of their social life at school (in ad-
dition to school) is disregarded. (ibid.) Deliberations in this paper are connect-
ed to these findings, however, the focus is not on relationships, but on aca-
demic achievement.
It has so far been shown that the reciprocal interaction between self-con-
cept and student achievement is difficult to explain unambiguously. Some
other study findings, in relation to the correlation between the two, will there-
fore be presented below.
Empirical studies (Covington, 1989; cf. also Kenway, 2004) show individuals’
higher self-concept signifies better achievement. A positive correlation is ob-
served between self-concept and academic achievement. This relationship al-
so works vice versa: the self-concept of individuals who boast a better school
performance is higher. This relationship also encompasses the influence of the
social class and intelligence. Studies have revealed national systems, school
sectors, schools, departments and teachers combined explain approximately
20% of the total variance in school outcomes (Gorard and Smith, 2004; as cited
in Smith, 2005: 39), which needs to be taken into consideration in attempts to
make interventions in this field.
The monograph Hearts and Minds: Self-esteem and the Schooling of Girls
(Kenway and Willis, 2004), which addresses the relationship between aca-
demic achievement and girls’ self-esteem, states that for both genders vari-
ous types of literature indicate associations between aspirations, academic
achievement, opportunities in life and self-esteem; and in relation to this a low
self-esteem can often ‘explain’ at least part of one’s school and social undera-
chievement. The authors also point out the humanistic expectation, according
to which good teachers should show concern for their students’ self-esteem,
and that this concern should be integrated in at least part of the curricula. For
girls in particular (Renshaw, 2004: 18) it has been established that underesti-
student (formal) achievement through non-formal and informal knowledge
programme is the PUM project – Project Learning for Young Adults. Howev-
er, it is not necessary for such programmes to start once youths have already
dropped out of school, it is better to address the issue while they are still part
of the educational system and to help them to better academic achievement.
When it comes to attempting to improve general academic achievement,
by means of measures that are related to school work only, it is also important
to voice some doubt about whether it is the right thing to place the sole focus
on the achievement students demonstrate during lessons. In doing so, the in-
formal and social experiences that children are exposed to at school (during
breaks, on the pitch) are left somewhat neglected (Blatchford, 2005). It there-
fore makes more sense to look for mechanisms that work outside of school
and try to use them to improve adolescents’ school performance. Some stud-
ies have revealed that in trying, for instance, to improve adolescents’ attitude
to school in general, an important segment of their social life at school (in ad-
dition to school) is disregarded. (ibid.) Deliberations in this paper are connect-
ed to these findings, however, the focus is not on relationships, but on aca-
demic achievement.
It has so far been shown that the reciprocal interaction between self-con-
cept and student achievement is difficult to explain unambiguously. Some
other study findings, in relation to the correlation between the two, will there-
fore be presented below.
Empirical studies (Covington, 1989; cf. also Kenway, 2004) show individuals’
higher self-concept signifies better achievement. A positive correlation is ob-
served between self-concept and academic achievement. This relationship al-
so works vice versa: the self-concept of individuals who boast a better school
performance is higher. This relationship also encompasses the influence of the
social class and intelligence. Studies have revealed national systems, school
sectors, schools, departments and teachers combined explain approximately
20% of the total variance in school outcomes (Gorard and Smith, 2004; as cited
in Smith, 2005: 39), which needs to be taken into consideration in attempts to
make interventions in this field.
The monograph Hearts and Minds: Self-esteem and the Schooling of Girls
(Kenway and Willis, 2004), which addresses the relationship between aca-
demic achievement and girls’ self-esteem, states that for both genders vari-
ous types of literature indicate associations between aspirations, academic
achievement, opportunities in life and self-esteem; and in relation to this a low
self-esteem can often ‘explain’ at least part of one’s school and social undera-
chievement. The authors also point out the humanistic expectation, according
to which good teachers should show concern for their students’ self-esteem,
and that this concern should be integrated in at least part of the curricula. For
girls in particular (Renshaw, 2004: 18) it has been established that underesti-
student (formal) achievement through non-formal and informal knowledge
