The Value of Education

Based on the commentary notes in lesson 10 (2019) the education system is usually the first form of social interaction that takes place outside of a child’s home for many children. The effects of the exposures from it can be vital for their future successes. The education system is where a great deal of human development occurs and is shaped (Lesson 10: Education, 2019). There are several factors we should consider when it comes to student performance.

According to Ajzen (1991), the theory of planned behavior looks at the individual’s attitude, their perceived subjective norms and their perceived behavioral control. The attitude towards the behavior can be positive or negative. It is the belief that individuals hold about completing the work or tasks. Subjective norms are what an individual believes to be true based on their parent’s expectations such as working hard earns success. Along with both of those factors we should also consider the child’s behavioral control, this is the assessment of how difficult or easy school appears to be for the child (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).

According to a study conducted by Sideridis and Padeliadu (2001), it was found that high and poor performing readers differed drastically regarding the theory of planned behavior. It appeared as if the low-level readers held less value with being a good student and had weaker subjective norms than the higher-level reading students did. In fact, the higher-level readers worked harder and showed a perceived control in their ability to achieve good grades from their hard work. These findings were interesting because it means that if educators can increase student’s beliefs about their abilities and their control they have over their academic successes, students will want to work harder to achieve higher successes/grades (Schneider et al, 2012).

Similarly, a student’s academic self-concept has been found to affect motivation and performance at school as well. Of course, academic self-concepts differ based on the student’s demographics (age, race, gender and ethnicity). Guay and colleagues (2003) found that as the students grow older their academic self-concepts became more stabilized overtime. This shows how important it is for educators and parents to help elementary and high school students develop a positive academic self-concept, and an academic self-concept is especially important for minority students (Schneider et al, 2012).

As you can see based on the information above, parents and school environments appear to be some of the most vital contributing factors towards positive social interactions and academic success for students. Having a positive academic attitude towards education, having an established positive perceived set of norms and having a perceived behavioral control over their successes can be a crucial step in building students’ successes now and in their future. Education and the factors that contribute towards academic success can start in the home with the parents/caregivers and build throughout development within the school system (Schneider et al, 2012). Without applied social psychology, these important factors may not have been assessed and discovered. It is important that caregivers and parents realize that education and educational values start in the home environment. It is time for parents and educators to work together and model and foster positive behaviors for our students and young children, as they are our future.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles; London; New Dehli; Singapore; Washington DC; Melbourne: SAGE.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2019). PSYCH 424 Lesson 10: Education Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1973019/modules/items/25635725

2 comments

  1. I agree with you when you stated that the school system can have a huge impact on students lives. If you add up all of the hours our children spend at school during the week, it can take up most of their day. On an average school day a student spends approximately 6 .43 hours each day at school. (Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), n.d.). When you multiply that by 5, since they attend school 5 days a week it adds up to 32.15 hours a week. The 6.43 hours a day does not factor in extracurricular activities like after school programs, sports, clubs, etc… Some students after school are to young to stay at home by themselves after school, therefore they are taken to a place for childcare until the parents are out of work for the day. Most parents work long shifts from 8-12 hours for 5 days a week if not 6 on a weekly basis. This leaves little time for parents to interact with their children on weeknights of working before they have to go to bed in order for them to have a productive day at school. But our jobs as parents is to nurture them (help our offspring to develop) and make time for our children(Nurture. n.d.). Since school is such an important part of our children’s lives, the education system should help influence and encourage positive behaviors in our children. It will help them want to learn, be more attentive, interactive and give them some purpose. This positive behavior can spread to other students and the people they interact with on a daily basis. This is why I agree that it is such a crucial element in their lives to have positive influences in school, at home or in childcare.

    References:

    Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2019, from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/tables/sass0708_035_s1s.asp

    Nurture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2019, from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/nurture

  2. Hi!

    I loved your post! As someone who works in an elementary school I come across many different children. I do agree that majority of development happens at school. It is where the children interact with other kids their age, they learn new subjects, and I really think they find their identity while they are at school as well. The study you spoke about really opened my eyes to their findings. Thank you for that. I come across children all the time who fit this criteria but I never thought about it more in depth. Parents do play a big role as well. However, where I currently work, the parents here don’t care much. They see the school as the place that is responsible for the child learning absolutley everything and when the child goes home, there is no reinforcing. I personally think it is sad because there are only so many things you can do at school, if the child gets nothing taught to them at home how are they really going to learn?

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