- FEAR OF REPORT CARD INCREASES ANXIETY IN CHILDREN
With the arrival of the semester break, the fear of report cards also gripped children. Overreactions to unsuccessful report cards can have adverse effects on children. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Emine Zinnur Kılıç gave information about how families should behave in the face of bad report cards and the reasons for low grades.
- Lecture Grades Are Not Indicators of What Kind of Individuals Children Will Be in the Future
Report card grades should be seen as an indicator of how much children understand the lessons they learned during that period. It's okay if the grades are high. What should be done for low grades? First of all, it should not be forgotten that course grades are not an indicator of the child's personality or what kind of individual he will be in the future. If your child has a low grade in a particular subject, this may indicate a problem with learning that subject. Grades are a means for parents to receive news about their children's progress at school.
- Test Anxiety May Cause Low Grades
If there are low grades on the report card. The reason for this should be investigated. The most important reason affecting children's school success is attention problems. Children who have problems paying attention and directing their attention to their work are unable to follow lessons at school; They also have difficulty studying at home. The most common cause of attention problems is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, all physical and psychological problems experienced by the child affect attention. Insomnia, hunger, and physical diseases can cause attention deficit. In addition, factors such as mental stress, anxiety, fear and depression also distract the child's attention and cause him/her to fail to focus on lessons at school or at home. Therefore, if there is a general decrease in course success, the reasons for difficulty in concentrating should be investigated.
Another reason for low grades may be test anxiety. These children are the ones who experience extreme stress during exams even though they study hard and therefore cannot achieve the success they expect. Test anxiety often accompanies other anxiety disorders. For this reason, it is only in terms of test anxiety. It is a situation that should be examined not only in terms of the presence of psychological problems in general, but also in terms of the presence of psychological problems.
How Should a Bad Report Card Be Received by Parents?
The report card should be examined within a problem-solving approach. Just as approaching this problem emotionally, getting angry and upset does not provide a solution when there is a problem, the same is true for low grades on the report card. What needs to be done is to look for solutions by thinking logically and sequentially. First of all, the reason for low grades should be considered, what the problem is should be understood, then solution methods should be researched and put into action. Blaming approaches usually backfire. Parents should clearly express their expectations and encourage their children to find ways to achieve this, express their own opinions and ask how they can help.
If there is a problem concentrating and focusing on the lesson or low motivation, a child psychiatrist may be consulted to investigate the reasons. It is a fact that devices such as mobile phones and the internet distract children's attention. Therefore, restricting the use of these tools may be a method. When there are problems with learning certain lessons, these lessons can be reinforced. The way to increase children's success is not to criticize but to guide, support and motivate. It should not be forgotten that criticism and intimidation will increase anxiety and will not bring a solution.
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