John
Locke, the English Philosopher and the founder of Empiricism equates the
newborn's mind to that of a clean slate. According to him, all knowledge we
acquire in our lives is due to our experiences of life. As our experiences increase, information gets
written on our slate and our knowledge keeps growing. The richer the experience, the better is our
knowledge. If we take the same track, we
find that our students go through those experiences that we provide them as
they grow. Are we providing them with a
rich experience? We do not know the
answer because we are extremely busy guiding our students to fulfill those
tasks that we deem important.
Once
students go to school, they are forced to follow standards set by adults.
Adults decide on the curriculum they study, the discipline they follow, the
routine they adopt, and the desires they have.
In trying to adjust to adult ways of living, students manifest anxiety
because they do not know how to go about achieving the goals that are set for
them. For instance, we teach them what
to study but do not tell them how to go about it. Thus, they manifest scores of problems to
which we do not have answers.
As
parents, our job is to look out for the overall development of the student
whereby he or she can acquire attitude, skills, and knowledge that ensures
stable and consistent adjustment to the environment. The book "What more do we need in Education?"
provides an overview of the total change required by the student to deal with
the world effectively. The student can
engage in varied tasks only when his or her study-related problems are taken
care of. Presently, students spend a lot
of time and effort trying to beat the examination system. If their drudgery is reduced, then they can
devote more time and energy to enhance holistic development.
GENERAL
FEEDBACK
Educational psychologists identify several
psychosocial factors contributing to the educational achievement of the
student. However, when most of these
factors like socio-economic status, geographical location, intelligence,
personality characteristics, level of aspiration, etc. are shared commonly by a
majority of the students, it is imperative to search for and analyze the
individual differences in the performances of the students.
An important variable that affects the
efficiency with which a student is capable of handling the stressors in the
educational environment is his/her involvement in studies. Student involvement in studies is found by
several researchers to be positively related to student achievement.
Asha Bhatnagar (Predictors of student
involvement in studies. Agra: National
Psychological Corporation, 1983, p.55) defines involvement as “an
identification with the task to be accomplished”. Such identification is absent among the
present student community. Hence, it is
necessary to reorient the student towards the task so that there is enhancement
of involvement in studies, which consequently leads to greater educational
achievement.
The
Supra Study Involvement Test was devised keeping in mind the complexity of
study involvement. A total of 10
dimensions are measured through this test, in addition to calculating the Study
Quotient. This test has been
administered to over 2500 students in Bangalore. Please remember that the
scores depend upon the way the student has answered. For a detailed analysis of
the test and its results please refer to “StudyInvolvement among College Students”
Table
1: Showing the average, minimum, and maximum for the group.
|
Dimension |
Average of the Group |
Minimum Score |
Maximum Score |
|
Study
Orientation |
19.88 |
11 |
27 |
|
Study
Habits |
35.32 |
25 |
45 |
|
Attitude
towards Study |
3.96 |
1 |
5 |
|
Career
Orientation |
7.92 |
0 |
18 |
|
Classroom
Behaviour |
24.08 |
17 |
31 |
|
Library
Work |
3.36 |
1 |
5 |
|
Speed
Reading |
4.00 |
2 |
5 |
|
Hobbies
and Interests |
19.76 |
12 |
26 |
|
Emotional
Balance |
34.36 |
22 |
50 |
|
Memory
Problems |
-30.60 |
-60 |
-5 |
|
Study
Quotient |
122.04 |
75 |
187 |
The
second area is the number of problems manifested by the student about
studying. A total of 100 common problems
were given as a checklist to the student and he or she is required to tick
those that apply to him or her. The
following are some of the most frequent problems. The percentage of students having these
problems is given in parentheses.
1.
Memory Problems (72%)
2.
Distracted from Studies (72%)
3.
Undesirable Neighborhood (68%)
4.
Feeling Bored (64%)
5.
Drowsiness while Studying (60%)
6.
Lack of Interest in Specific Subjects (60%)
7.
Hatred for Specific Subjects (60%)
8.
Lack of Concentration (56%)
9.
Difficulty in Languages (56%)
10. Forgetting
what is Studied (56%)
11. Inability
to Recall what is Studied (56%)
12. Writing
Difficulties (52%)
13. Problems
in Spelling (52%)
14. Always
wants to win (52%)
15. Feeling
Miserable (52%)
16. Afraid
of Exams (52%)
17. Stage
Fear (52%)
18. Early
Learner (52%)
19. Playing
too much (48%)
20. Neglected
by Teachers (48%)
21. Communication
Problems (48%)
22. Lack
of Self-understanding (48%)
23. Afraid
to ask questions in the class (48%)
24. Feeling
Tired (48%)
25. Feel
Frustrated (48%)
The
number of problems ticked ranges from 10 to 65.
The greater the problems the lesser was the Study Quotient. That is, an inverse relationship is found
between Study Involvement and Manifestation of Problems (r = -.61). Hence, by
decreasing the number of problems that the students manifest, their study
involvement can be improved, which consequently enhances their efficiency in
their daily lives.
Please
remember that the student's performance in the examination is not the only
criterion for judging the efficiency of the student. Despite all these problems the student may be
doing well in exams. If the problems are
removed, then the student can do even better, not only in exams but also in
other spheres of life.
As
mentioned earlier, these and other problems are a result of the stress the students
undergo in trying to learn the ways of living in the adult world. What they need is systematic guidance and
development to make their jobs easier and more meaningful.
Holistic Development in Children
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