What Role Does Confidence Play in Academic Success?

How long would you work at a job that you were unable to perform well? Not only would you not be successful at completing the tasks assigned, but also, in order to do anything somewhat successfully, you would take much longer than the other employees. To make matters worse, add the fact that you are not interested in this job either. And, on top of it all, everyone else knows you are the least capable employee. How long would it take you to quit that job and search for something else? A few months? Perhaps a year? Imagine that you are stuck in this job year after year, and you always remain a below average employee no matter how hard you work. At what point do you give up?

Now, imagine that this job is actually school, and you are eight years old. Would you handle it better or worse than adults in a job at which they are terrible?
To be sure, we want all kids to be well rounded; but the reality is that school can be very hard for some students, especially those with strengths that are not conducive to a structured, academic setting.

This begs the question: At what point do kids realize they aren’t good at something and just give up? This does not mean they can’t be good at it; it just means they have put in a certain amount of effort and have not seen success or have not been praised for their hard work, so they quit.
Confidence plays a huge role in success in any setting. No one likes to do things they do not do well. Most adults have landed in a field of interest or at least in a job where they have a certain level of competence. As educators and parents, we need to remember what it feels like to be challenged to perform tasks we are not comfortable with, or that we know we will struggle with before undertaking them. Confidence in one’s own ability plays heavily into the desire to persevere, even when he or she is really struggling, and that plays a key role in academic success for many students.

Tips for Improving Your Child’s Confidence

• Praise your child’s strengths – It is easy to constantly focus on weaknesses and things that need to be improved. Always remember to highlight the strengths your child has as well.
• Celebrate successes even if they are small – Small successes will lead to larger accomplishments as long as they are recognized.
• Stay involved in some activity that your child does well – Don’t pull your child out of every afterschool activity that they succeed in for tutoring. Keep a balance of working on weaknesses and continuing to build strengths.
• Encourage hard work and thought process – Don’t praise how fast or how correct something is. Instead, praise the process over the product (what will get you further: being a hard worker or just being smart?).
• Encourage Carol Dweck’s “growth mindset:” See failure as the opportunity to grow and improve, as opposed to deciding you are simply not good at something.

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For over 35 years, we have helped thousands of students reach their academic goals. For more information about our programs, please contact one of our two locations, or contact us via the form below!

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Brentwood, TN 37027

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Nashville, TN 37212

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