Behavioral and Social Problems of Adolescents, Affecting their Academics

Introduction

Taking a day inside the school property for some students, these adolescents felt different and their grades are falling down. Their school performance is sometimes below the average and they can hardly catch up the phase of the teaching process. As usual, the students are not alone in facing this kind of problems and the parents, as well as their teachers, can notice the problems about their students. This is the reasons for various studies that are striving to identify the factors which concerns on the student’s school performance.

Behavioral Factors

There are many reasons why teens had a poor performance in school which lies under the behavioral practices. This includes the lack of motivation, poor habits on study skills, learning disabilities and other medical problems that includes emotional output.

Motivation – Even if the child has a normal or above average intelligence, without a desire or motivation to succeed, the child will soon realize that he is failing. Having a lack motivation drives the child to neglect his duties as a student and wasn’t able to push himself to stay in focus. Parents are sometimes the cause of this kind of behavior because they set expectations on their child that result to make them feel on pressure.

Poor Habits – These are the habits that students have and he keeps on doing it repeatedly. This is the lack of sleep or sleeping too late because of watching too much television or going out with friends. Sometimes, when students feel nervous or anxiety, they do thumb sucking and nail biting which is really disgusting in front of the teacher.

Learning Disabilities - Learning disabilities can affect how students listen, think, and perform the qualitative and quantitative functions inside the school. Example of disabilities that serves as a hindrance in learning such as the dyslexia, which reflected in the writing skill; and ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, which affects the listening and following the instructions of the teachers. There are also times that a student is stuttering the words that make his own version of tongue twister.

Medical Findings – These are found in the genes and hereditary structure of the family. It also includes autism that is classified as controllable and uncontrollable.

Social Factors

This is another factor that makes a student usually avoid the school such as faking that they are ill, which are still an unsolved puzzle on the cause of this. But there are probable reasons that were concluded in some studies.

Having No Friends – The social status difference might be a main idea, feeling rejected or being bullied is the next for this unpleasant feeling.

Sensitivity – It is about the feeling of a student, like fear or intimidation, towards the teacher’s strictness or rebukes.

Conclusion

There are times that an adolescent feels troubled but it will not last forever. Sometimes, the chances that the adolescent will realize his own mistakes, and it is very advisable to don’t let the parents push their teens to do what they want. In the view of the parents, their children are their investment; their own treasure. And in investing, an individual usually goes with the flow of the events and make proper actions to avoid closure. This same principle is applied in parenting, if a parent continuously dictates their children, the child feels the pressure.

References:

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Keep Kids Healthy (2002). [Online] Available at: http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/adolescent/schoolperformance.html [Accessed 27 August 2009].

Music Teachers National Association (2002). Ages and Stages: Is That the Same Child I Taught Last Year? The Adolescent Student. American Music Teacher. Vol. 52. No. 2 p. 33.

National Association of School Psychologists (2002). Social Skills: Promoting Positive Behavior, Academic Success, and School Safety. [Online] Available at: http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/socialskills_fs.aspx [Accessed 27 August 2009].

Sulkes, S., (2009). A Review n Behavioral ad Developmental Problems in Young Children [Online] Available at: http://www.merck.com/mmhe/print/sec23/ch269/ch269h.html [Accessed 27 August 2009].