Achievement

**Achievement**
Achievement level has strong ties to identity development and self-esteem. Self-esteem in turn can affect anxiety levels, depression and response to peer pressure. (Palo Alto Medical Foundation)

The teen years are a time when young people can begin to see the relationship between their current abilities and plans and their future vocational aspirations. They need to figure out what they are currently good at and areas in which they are willing to strive for success. (Virginia Cooperative for Education)

Adolescents who are confident about their abilities, and who attribute their successes and failures to effort (rather than to ability or luck) achieve more in school than their peers. (Laurence Steinberg)

Students who are led to believe that their efforts do not make a difference develop the belief that failure is inevitable, also known as learned helplessness. (Laurence Steinberg)

The low level of educational achievement among American youth has been a national concern. Among the reasons given for decades of poor test performance are:
 * teachers are not spending enough time on basic instruction
 * students are not taking advanced courses when they are offered
 * parents are not encouraging academic pursuits at home
 * adolescents are not spending sufficient time on their studies outside of school
 * they know that can earn good grades without working very hard

(Laurence Steinberg)

Adolescent years among individuals highly accomplished in four career fields (tennis players, olympic swimmers, concert pianists, and research mathematicians) showed several common themes:


 * Introduction to the field and initial skill development occurred because the parents created situations that intrigued, interested, or involved the child, and [...] then provided other ways to extend this interest.
 * Work ethic is central to talent development. It is developed by the home environment and directly related to learning and participation in the chosen talent field.
 * Each group of parents strongly encouraged their children’s development in a particularly highly approved talent field.
 * Few of the individuals included in this study were regarded as child prodigies.

(Monsaas, 1990)

What can we as teachers do to help?
 * Encourage involvement in multiple groups or activities both within school and after-school.
 * Realize that teens are trying to gain a sense of achievement - a sense of being uniquely good at something.
 * Offer praise for effort - not for ability or luck.
 * Help teens explore career goals and options.

(Virginia Cooperative for Education)


 * References**

Virginia Cooperative for Education (2011), Retrieved from http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/350/350-850/350-850.html

Steinberg, L. (2010). Adolescence, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 0073532037

Monsaas, J. A. (1990) Home environment and the competitiveness of highly accomplished individuals in four talent fields. Developmental Psychology. Vol 26(2), pp. 264-268. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.26.2.264