Academic Failure

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Academic Failure
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Presented By Derek Smith University of Idaho
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Description of the Problem

• Academic failure is the state in which a student
  no longer achieves even the most basic of goals
  in his or her classroom experiences.
• A spectrum exists on which students struggling
  with academic failure can be placed. At one end
  of this spectrum, is the student who is trying as
  hard as they can to succeed, but they are
  encountering a barrier that is keeping them from
  academic success. At the other end of the
  spectrum are those students who have given up and
  no longer do their work or participate in
  classroom activities. This represents a case of
  will power versus way power, or cant versus
  wont.
• Academic failure is insidious. It can begin
  suddenly as the result of a traumatic event or it
  can slowly build up in the student. No matter
  what the cause or what the degree, academic
  failure is at the top of the list of scholastic
  problems that needs to be addressed by schools
  and professional school counselors because
  academic performance is what we are all about.

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Continuum of Failure
Cant Do It Academic problems are outside of
the students immediate control.
Wont Do It The student give up and/or chooses
not to do their work.
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Diagnostic Indicators

• Academic failure can be detected with the help of
  the following
• Reviewing student transcripts and other records
  of performance.
• Teachers will notify the counselor of a
  students lack of motivation or a marked
  disparity between the students abilities and the
  students achievements.
• Teacher referrals are very important because
  teachers are constantly monitoring their
  students academic performances.
• Parents and other professionals may also notify
  the counselor or a students academic progress.
• Scores on standardized tests and subject tests
  can indicate academic difficulties
• Counselors can informally evaluate students
  through discussions with the student.
• There is no one cause of all academic failure and
  there is no one direct outcome.
• When evaluating academic failure, the following
  must be considered
• multicultural differences, language differences,
  failure to understand the subject matter, poor
  academic/social/family environments, a students
  reaction to an unexpected traumatic event, and/or
  lack of interest in school.

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Prognosis/Outlook

• Academic failure is, by no means, an
  uncorrectable problem.
• The root of the problem and the motivation of the
  student will determine the difficulty that will
  be present in helping that student change
  academic failure into academic success.
• The more motivated and ready for change a student
  is, the easier it will be to fix the problem.
• Students with no motivation and who do not think
  that they have any problem will present the
  greatest challenge for the school professionals.

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Interventions

• The professional school counselor will be a
  member of a student assist team.
• This team will help identify the cause of a
  students academic failure and determine
  appropriate interventions.
• The counselor will coordinate meetings of the
  intervention teams and the student.
• The counselor can also manage the intervention
  plan that the teams decide on (Erford, 2007
  Britt, et al., 2006 Needham, Crosnoe, and
  Muller, 2003).
• Intervention teams may include parents of the
  child, community members (churches, agencies,
  etc.), and the school faculty and staff.
• Interventions should focus on increasing the
  students knowledge, behaviors, and skills in a
  number of areas depending on the students
  presenting problem including Social and
  emotional functioning of the student that are
  adversely impacted by poor performance,
  communication issues, sense of self-direction,
  and understanding how to enrich ones own life.
  (Erford, 2007).
• It is important to focus on environmental
  support, enhancing relationships, supporting
  vocational programming, and providing behavioral
  assistance.

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Interventions Continued

• Academic interventions in the classroom may
  include
• one-on-one discussions between the teacher and
  the student,
• intensive tutoring sessions,
• instruction in learning skills and techniques
• changes in the students workload requirement
• The intervention team may also provide resources
  for the parents to allow them to help with their
  childs academics.
• The counselor can work one-on-one with the
  student to help them plan for the future, teach
  social and behavioral skills, work with group
  counseling to teach communication skills, and
  provide individual counseling for behavioral and
  emotional problems.
• The counselor can also help the student gain
  self-confidence and social-confidence.
• If motivation is a problem, then the professional
  school counselor can work with intervention teams
  to assess the students interests and focus on
  those interests (Erford, 2007).

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Interventions Continued

• There is no one right answer for working with
  students with academic failure.
• The key is to design a program around the
  students particular needs, address these needs
  as a team, and make changes to the program as
  necessary.
• Successfully working with a student and turning
  around his or her academic progress as well as
  his or her overall social-emotional functioning
  and life focus will increase that students
  self-confidence and set them on a course for
  success in becoming an active and productive
  citizen.

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With Good Interventions Students Can Succeed!!!
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References

• Britt, P., Thomas, C., Blackbourn, J. M.,
  Blackbourn, R., Papason, B., Tyler, J. L.,
  Williams, F. K. (2006). Listen to the children
  Students at risk for academic failure speak out.
  National Forum of Applied Educational Research
  Journals, 19(3E), 1-6.
• Erford, B. T. (2007). Transforming the School
  Counseling Profession (2nd ed.). New Jersey
  Pearson Education, Inc.
• Keymer, C. A. (1999). Creating STARS An
  educational Intervention addressing academic
  failure. Southern Nazarene University, LDRB,
  LLC. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
  ED447609)
• Needham, B. L., Crosnoe, R. and Muller, C.,
  (2003). Academic failure in secondary school
  The inter-related role of physical health
  problems and educational context. Paper
  presented at the annual meeting of the American
  Sociological Association, Atlanta Hilton Hotel,
  Atlanta, GA Online lt.PDFgt. 2008-09-15 from
  http//www.allacademic.com/meta/p107067_index.htm
  l

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References

• Stanford University (2000, June). Retrieved
  November 3, 2008, from GES41L History and
  Predictability http//pangea.stanford.edu/cours
  es/GES41L/mo tivation/failure.gif
•  The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2008). Retrieved
  November 3, 2008, from KIDS COUNT Data
  Center www.kidscount.org/datacenter/images/07data
  b ook/dropouts_map.gif