Improving Student Academic Behavior - Essay Example

Improving Student Academic Behavior This paper will focus on the aspects of academic improvement in relation to parent-teacher relationships and how academic behavior can affect study habits, time management, and personal/student accountability. The fundamental role of educational institutions is to provide educational or learning opportunities for students to enable them to be well-adjusted for their future roles as responsible members of society. The performance of individual learners is of utmost importance for the justification of the continued provision and funding for education programs and projects all over the world. For that reason, schools and educators are keen to promote the improvement of educational performance of students by seeking collaborative ways of engaging all the key stakeholders involved in the development of education (Njoroge & Nyabuto, 2014). Student performance goes beyond the mere student achievement in examinations and school tests to encompass the overall achievement of character strengths, particularly the specific dispositions, attributes, and skills that are linked with effective learning ability. Successful students are those that are not only knowledgeable in a variety of subject areas, but also those that have acquired the learning skills that will enable them fit into their respective roles in the future of societies; for that matter, improving student performance is more than just merely improving their test scores. With the great concern among educators and schools regarding improving student performance, numerous efforts have been directed towards establishing the most effective ways of improving student behavior, which has been highlighted as a core factor in education development. Student behavior has been found to be the most critical factor in improving student performance, study habits, time management, as well as personal/student accountability; parent-teacher relationships; on the other hand, are essential in encouraging positive student behavior among students generally. The relationship between parents and teachers has often been framed in terms of parental involvement or engagement in policy matters regarding planning for the provision as well as development of education throughout the world; even so, parental engagement is a new concept in the history of educational development, and an ambiguous one for that matter (Cullingford & Morrison, 1999). Since time immemorial, parents alongside a few older members of society were the main sources of education for children in many societies around the world. With the advancement of human societies and the emergence of simple one-room school buildings for the purpose of formalized instruction, local mothers with skills and enthusiasm for working with children took up educational roles. As schooling became gradually formalized and compulsory for most places around the world, a great divide emerged between the roles of parenting and teaching, until sometime in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The expansion of formal schooling in many developed regions of the world saw the recognition of the importance of parent-teacher associations in the development of children’s education, particularly in terms of improving student academic behavior and educational outcomes (Trask-Tate & Cunningham, 2010). Over the years, parent engagement or involvement has emerged to be a crucial approach to supporting students in achieving their educational goals at school since parents are perceived to have a major influence on the success of their children in life. Given that students spend a considerable amount of time out of school with their parents at home, parental involvement is regarded one of the most crucial factors in the educational development of their children. For instance, parents may directly affect their children’s educational behavior by holding regular and meaningful conversations with them while at home and setting high aspirations for them; furthermore, parents can demonstrate their own interests in the education of their children while supporting learning both at home and school. In that respect, parent-teacher collaborations are very essential in improving academic performance of students since they inevitably lead to the development of positive student behavior that is required for higher educational outcomes in the school setting and general success in life. Student behavior is a critical factor in education since it directly influences study habits, time management, and personal/student accountability on the side of the learners; for that matter, parents and teachers collaborate to improve student behavior both at school and out of school to influence their overall educational outcomes. The main aim of school discipline is to nurture positive student behavior by equipping each learner with positive values such as self-respect and proper pride in their own integrity that they can observe all the norms of proper conduct even when no one is watching. The establishment of a happy and industrious school community relies hugely on the presence of sound discipline amongst the students since it creates a supportive environment for learning to take place (Njoroge & Nyabuto, 2014). Without sound student behavior or proper student discipline, the school environment is more likely to be chaotic and learning may be disrupted; consequently, the performance of learners and the overall learning process is negatively affected by inappropriate student behavior. Ill student behavior all over the world has been a major concern among stakeholders since it endangers not only the welfare but also the safety of learners and educators while jeopardizing the success of the entire educational process. School management committees, educators, learners themselves, parents as well as the public have great incentives in wanting to uphold appropriate student behavior since it is the primary prerequisite for success of the educational process. Student indiscipline is reflected in numerous ways and may take different forms in different school contexts such as commotions, disturbances, poor time management, neglect of assignments, riots, class boycotts, destruction of school property among other forms. Student behavior plays an extremely significant role in the achievement of educational expectations and goals since it promotes effective learning, good teacher relationship as well as peer adjustment, among other critical factors of success in the development of education. The significance of parent-teacher relationships in promoting student behavior cannot be underrated and so is the significance of student behavior in improving academic performance of the students (Hayes, 2012); this underscores the need for parents to collaborate with teachers in the educational development of their children since such partnerships directly influence student behaviour and academic performance respectively. References Cullingford, C., & Morrison, M. (1999). Relationships between parents and schools: A case study. Educational Review, 51(3), 253-262. Hayes, D. (2012). Parental involvement and achievement outcomes in african american adolescents. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 43(4), 567-XI. Njoroge, P. M., & Nyabuto, A. N. (2014). Discipline as a factor in academic performance in kenya. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 4(1), 289-307. Trask-Tate, A., & Cunningham, M. (2010). Planning ahead: The relationship among school support, parental involvement, and future academic expectations in african american adolescents. The Journal of Negro Education, 79(2), 137-150. Read More