How self-concept can affect learning

Have you heard a child lament, "I always fail Math. I can't do Math. "? What about the next comment? "I'm not good in Math. I will not do well in this test again?" If these comments sound familiar, you may want to read on.

Basically, the child's self-concept has affected his learning. What is self-concept? Self-concept is how we think about and evaluate ourselves.

How does self-concept affect learning? Let me share with you an anecdote. Three years ago, I was teaching a P6 average ability class (fourth last class in terms of Math results) in school. The classes were banded according to Math results. Before the year started, I scrutinised their P5 examination results. All the pupils except one failed their P5 Math examination. The class average was 41 marks.

When I stepped into the class on the first day, I asked the class casually, "How many of you hate or dislike Math?" Many hands shot into the air. Then I let the kids share with me why they hated or disliked Math. The common reasons are:

(a) I do not know how to do a lot of Math questions.

(b) Math questions are tough.

(c) I have been failing Math throughout P5.

I started my first pep talk of the year. I told them that I will do my best to help them but they must believe in me and themselves. I told them that they will soon realise and believe that it is possible to pass Math.

After the orientation week, I spent a lot of time on Math in the morning. This is because the kids are the most alert in the morning. My Math periods are usually 3 to 4 periods long. Basically, I was using periods of other subjects. Hence I told the class that they had to be prepared to stay behind for extra lessons as I needed time for other subjects too. I cannot sacrifice the time for other subjects as the PSLE T-score still depends on all four subjects.

I set class tests for the class so that I could "force" the kids to revise the concepts taught and assess their learning through bite-sized assessments. Gradually, the kids experienced success in the class tests. Some of them started to be more motivated. As an educator, it was so gratifying to see the sparkle or the newfound confidence in the kids.

The big breakthrough came in CA. When the class saw that a number of their classmates managed to pass their Math test for the first time since P5, the class was ecstatic. I could still remember the applause and the cheers for their classmates. Even those who failed were clapping for their friends who passed. After all the applause, I gave the class a pep talk again. "I'm so proud of your friends who passed. Well done! For those who failed, take a look at your marks. If you have shown improvement and are now close to borderline pass, I'm happy for you too! Continue to work hard and I'm sure you will be able to pass in SA1. So you see, it's possible to pass, right?" I was really heartened when I saw many pupils nodding their heads.

After this episode, the rest of the year is about the drilling of commonly tested questions and clarifying misconceptions. It was gratifying that at the end of the year, the same kids shared with me that they no longer feared Math.

What can you do as parents? Well, I think that you should invest time in giving the kid pep talks. Try to change the mindset or raise the self-concept. Let the child have a chance to experience success. Once you are able to raise the child's self-concept, half the battle is won.

Kids fail the examinations due to different reasons. Some are bright but not motivated. Some are slower learners and need a lot of reinforcement. Some have very low self-concept.

Before frantically searching for a tutor, try to work on raising the child's self-concept. The time spent is really worthwhile.