Peculiarities of Young Schoolchildren’s Reactions to their Success or Failure in Educational Activities

Abstract

The aim of the research is to analyze the peculiarities of young schoolchildren’s reactions to success or failure if they have different academic achievements.

Methods of the research. In order to investigate reactions to successes and failures characteristic for primary school children having different levels of academic achievements, the «Unfinished Sentences» technique was used.

The study covered schoolchildren of the second-fourth forms of primary school. Depending on their academic achievements, the studied schoolchildren were divided into three groups: with high, medium and low educational achievements.

The results of the research. The article shows that the most common reaction to success is a positive emotional experience and expectation of reward. The schoolchildren with low educational achievements even in case of success act in a non-constructive manner, their self-control skills are not developed enough, which provokes «background» undifferentiated anxiety. The schoolchildren characterized by often failure (low academic achievements) or often success (high academic achievements) react almost equally to failure: they show negative, particularly aggressive, reactions. At the same time, with the increase of children’s age, schoolchildren form more constructive behaviour in situations of failure; we recorded their attempts to solve problems actively and effectively. The expediency to involve parents in the system of corrective and developmental influences on their children in order to ensure their constructive personal development is substantiated. The principles and rules of effective parent-child interactions are proposed.

Conclusions. The study of such a psychological phenomenon as the level of aspirations at different ages, and especially at primary school age, is of particular importance. This is necessary to develop individualised tactics of psychological influences and thereby to promote each child’s harmonious personal growth. Differences between aspirations and opportunities, success or failure in different activities have a significant impact on a child’s perception of his/herself, his/her self-assessment, and also on effectiveness of his/her activities, in particular, his/ her learning. Our research has determined that children experiencing academic failure for a long time become indifferent to learning, their emotions toward learning become negative, learning loses personal significance, and therefore, children do not feel responsible for own academic results. Taking into account the individual and group characteristics of primary school children with different academic achievements, reliance on the above-mentioned principles and rules of interactions will allow teachers and psychologists to choose optimal forms and methods of corrective work with such children and their parents.