Constructivist approach to student academic achievement

Abstract

In contemporary pedagogical literature, the differences in student academic achievement are very rarely studied from student’s perspective, which is, probably, one of significant reasons for the continuous existence of the category „underachiever”. The goal of our research was to consider the problem of school underachievement from the perspective of students who are positioned as underachievers. Instead of numerous assumptions of researchers regarding the issue why certain students are underachievers, the starting point for our research was the fact that students are those who have theories about their own academic achievement, which they test and reconsider, and which can, but do not have to be in keeping with the theories about their academic achievement held by „significant others”. The research applies quantitative and qualitative methods for the assessment of constructing. More specifically, we applied the methodological apparatus used in personal construct theory: semi-structured interview, Repertory Grid, Implication grid, Resistance to change grid and self-characterisation. The sample comprised 60 secondary school students from the third grade, who failed three or more subjects during the school year or at the end of classification periods. Based on the analysis of results, it is possible to reach the conclusion that the way in which students define „school underachievement” is different from the definitions provided in pedagogy and educational psychology textbooks. The findings indicate that the most important thing to students is for „others” to realise that they are not immanently stupid and therefore fail in school. As the most frequent reasons for school underachievement they state the following: the lack of will and concentration for studying, laziness and inadequate didactic and methodical training of teachers. The finding that is especially worthy of attention is that students are well aware of what they do not want to be like under any circumstances, which points out to a prominently higher predictive clearness of what presents the undesirable side of their identity and which is one nuance clearer than the idealised and desired concept about what they would like to be. Students would never want to be – underachievers, those who study unsystematically, apathetic, lazy, irresponsible, rejected, unjust, insecure, inconsistent, incapable, dependent in studying, uneducated, gullible and disobedient. Furthermore, they would like to be successful students, but without having to study.

U savremenoj pedagoškoj literaturi, razlike u obrazovnom postignuću učenika se, veoma retko, proučavaju iz perspektive učenika što je, verovatno, jedan od bitnih razloga za kontinuiranu egzistenciju kategorije „neuspešan učenik”. Cilj našeg istraživanja bio je da se problem školskog neuspeha razmotri iz perspektive učenika koji su pozicionirani kao neuspešni. Umesto mnogobrojnih pretpostavki istraživača o tome zašto su neki učenici neuspešni, u istraživanju smo pošlli od pretpostavke da su učenici ti koji imaju teorije o sopstevnom obrazovnom postignuću koje proveravaju i preispituju, koje mogu, ali i ne moraju da budu u skladu sa teorijama koje o njihovom obrazovnom postignuću imaju „značajni drugi”. U istraživanju su primenjene kvantitativne i kvalitativne tehnike procene konstruisanja. Konkretnije, primenjena je metodološka aparatura koja se koristi u teoriji ličnih konstrukata: polustrukturisani intervju, Mreža repertoara, Mreža implikacija, Mreža otpornosti prema promeni i samokarakterizacija. Uzorak je činilo 60 učenika trećeg razreda srednje škole koji su u toku školske godine ili na kraju kvalifikacionih perioda imali negativne ocene iz tri i više predmeta. Na osnovu analize rezultata moguće je zaključiti da se način na koji učenici definišu „školski neuspeh” razlikuje od definicija u udžbenicima pedagogije i pedagoške psihologije. Nalazi pokazuju da je učenicima najvažnije da „drugi” shvate da oni nisu imanentno glupi i stoga neuspešni u školi. Kao najčešće razloge školskog neuspeha učenici navode: odsustvo volje i koncentracije za učenje, lenjost i neadekvatnu didaktičko-metodičku obučenost nastavnika. Nalaz koji zaslužuje posebnu pažnju jeste da učenici jako dobro znaju kakvi nipošto ne bi želeli da budu, što ukazuje na naglašeno veću prediktivnu jasnoću onog što predstavlja nepoželjnu stranu njihovog identiteta, i što je za nijansu jasnije od idealizovane i željene predstave o onome što bi oni želeli da budu. Učenici nipošto ne bi želeli da budu – neuspešni đaci, kampanjci, bezvoljni, lenji, neodgovorni, odbačeni, nepravedni, nesigurni, nedosledni, nesposobni, nesamostalni u učenju, neobrazovani, naivni i neposlušni. Štaviše, oni bi želeli da budu uspešni đaci, ali da ne moraju da uče.