The 6 psychological factors that influence academic success

Academic success can be key to entering the world of work. We discuss different psychological factors to take into account for a healthy academic development and the achievement of our goals.

Academic success is considered to be the achievement of goals and objectives in studies, in addition to obtaining satisfactory results and grades. Education facilitates the integral formation of people and is considered the main path to economic independence and social life. It also helps us develop skills for our performance in various aspects of daily life.

What psychological factors influence academic success?

Both students and their families rely on academic institutions to receive an education that helps them lead their professional lives. However, on many occasions these expectations are not met. There are different factors associated with academic achievement, from the economic resources of the institutions, to the levels socioeconomic and cultural aspects of the students, going through the training of teachers, the commitment of the family and the methodology used, among others.

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There has been talk of mental hygiene as the set of circumstances, whether mental, physical or psychological, that can favor the performance of intellectual tasks.. Everything we do is influenced by our state of mind, so if neuro-physiologically we are more predisposed to learning, the capacities to achieve this knowledge will be more likely.

These processes linked to mental hygiene are significantly influenced by self-concept; the internal conceptual representation that each one of us has of ourselves, and the physiological conditions and their influence; muscle tension, energy, relaxation and general functioning of the human body.

In this article we are going to present some psychological factors that can influence our academic success to know identify them and, if necessary, how we can improve our performance in studies by being aware of them factors.

1. Motivation

This is another of the main psychological factors that drive academic success; Motivation has been defined as the engine of success, a key factor in relation to performance in studies. This refers to the force that drives when studying to commit to learning, set goals and maintain a concrete effort to achieve them. Two types of motivation have been defined: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is the one that comes from personal interest and enjoyment in the process of learning, which is why it is considered particularly powerful for long-term academic success and performance. term. Students with higher intrinsic motivation are more willing to explore and take on challenges, maintaining a constant focus on their learning. The satisfaction of acquiring knowledge and skills that genuinely interest them is the one that has the most weight in the reinforcement to maintain this motivation to continue learning and improving.

On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is one that is maintained by the rewards that can be obtained once the study effort is finished. For example, being sure that at the end of an exam season you will go on a trip. This motivation can provide an initial boost to sustain the effort for the study, but it tends to be less sustainable in the long term. In addition, different studies affirm that, in case the rewards disappear, extrinsic motivation also has to extinction.

The combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is the cause of the greatest impulse of students to face challenges, persist in the face of difficulties and take advantage of and enjoy the educational experience, allowing the achievement of academic goals and promoting sustained learning in the time.

• Related article: "Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources"

2. Self-efficacy

The self-efficacy has been defined as the set of beliefs that a person has in their own abilities to succeed in a particular task. In the academic context, it has been coined as academic self-efficacy.

This self-efficacy implies having confidence in one's own abilities and competencies to face and overcome academic challenges. Students with high academic self-efficacy are those who believe they are capable of learning, understanding and applying the content of their study effectively. It is this belief and self-confidence that makes them set goals that can challenge them, be persistent despite difficulties and knowing which learning strategies to use in each activity or situation concrete.

On the contrary, students with low self-efficacy may doubt their abilities and not trust their ability to find solutions to academic problems that they may have Therefore, promoting self-efficacy is crucial to increase the chances of academic success. This must go hand in hand with educators, offering them constructive and specific feedback, acknowledging and valuing their efforts. In addition, it is important to foster a supportive and trusting environment among students, an environment in which they feel safe to take on challenges and learn from your mistakes.

3. Self-esteem

The self-esteem It is the perception and evaluation that a person has of himself. In the academic context, self-esteem is very important to promote the performance and well-being of students.

Self-esteem has a direct influence on how students see themselves in relation to their academic ability and achievement.. A healthy self-esteem is constructive and makes a positive and realistic assessment of one's abilities and potential. Students with higher self-esteem tend to feel capable and valued, being able to face academic challenges with a positive attitude and determination.

Furthermore, in the same way as high self-efficacy, healthy self-esteem will encourage students to set more challenging goals and have confidence in their ability to carry them out. However, students with low self-esteem may doubt their abilities and fear failure, avoiding academic challenges and blaming themselves. completely of their failures, leading to greater implications and problems for their mental health, not only in their performance academic.

To foster healthy self-esteem, teachers must give a key role to emotional support, recognition of student achievements and constructive feedback. It is also important to foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment, where students can feel valued and respected.

• You may be interested in: "The 9 most important learning theories"

4. Learning

Learning is the process by which we acquire knowledge, skills and understanding about different subjects and areas of study. Effective learning plays a fundamental role in academic performance and success.

Despite what many may think, learning should not be limited to memorizing informationRather, it must imply a deep understanding that includes the ability to apply what has been learned to practical and even realistic situations. It is important to develop learning strategies and techniques that optimize the acquisition and retention of knowledge.

For this, appropriate learning strategies should be promoted as tools to facilitate this acquisition of knowledge. Among them are the planning and organization of time, the identification of learning objectives and the use of effective study techniques, such as summarizing, mnemonics, and frequent practice, among others.

5. emotional intelligence

The emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand and manage our own emotions and those of others. This is crucial for academic performance and success.

The ability to recognize and manage one's own emotions means prioritizing positive and productive moods when to study to face the challenges that this may entail, as well as to have a better management of stress and pressure. Furthermore, it is not only important to develop good emotional intelligence in order to have a good relationship with ourselves in educational contexts, but also for relationships with the rest.

Having high emotional intelligence implies being able to establish positive relationships with classmates and teachers, generating a more collaborative and mutually supportive learning environment. This component is also positive for, when managing a conflict in the event of its existence, being able to do so constructively.

From teaching, emotional intelligence can be encouraged by offering opportunities or activities for students to explore and understand their emotions, in addition to teaching from effective communication, conflict resolution and management of stress.

6. Resilience

Finally, resilience is the ability to effectively cope and adapt to adverse situations, overcome obstacles, and recover from difficult experiences. It is fundamental in the academic context since this can be full of challenges and setbacks., such as exams, high own expectations or those of family members, academic competition and social pressure.

Resilience is effective in these challenges to be able to face them constructively, maintaining a persevering attitude and optimistic in the face of difficulties, being able to overcome obstacles and obtain learning or positive results from this overcoming of difficulties challenges.

Like emotional intelligence, resilience also contributes to better stress and pressure management, and can maintaining a balance between academic and personal life and adequately managing expectations and academic demands and social.

Conclusion

As we have seen, there are many factors related to psychology and mental health that contribute in the academic world and that can be crucial for success or good results schoolchildren. For this reason, it is important to know them and to know how to identify them so that, in case of suffering academic difficulties, we are aware of our failures. It is important to ask for help from teachers or mental health professionals if necessary to focus properly our behaviors and emotions and increase the possibilities of a healthier learning, with which it is enjoyed in the path.