PSY371e Performance Psychology: Student Challenges and Strategies

This report addresses the challenges experienced by students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, focusing on their academic performance and socio-emotional development. It explores the impact of factors like poor socio-emotional processing, motivation, and language development on student outcomes. The report delves into Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory, highlighting how teachers can foster student success through effective communication, creative approaches, and feedback. Additionally, it examines resilience theory, emphasizing the importance of adaptability in overcoming adversity, and proposes strategies for building resilience in students, such as fostering positive relationships and teaching social-emotional skills. The report also suggests school policy alterations and peer-based activities to support these students. It references key studies and provides a comprehensive overview of intervention strategies.

Running head: PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY

1
PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY
Challenges experienced by students from low socioeconomic status:
The children from low socioeconomic status generally lack active support, usually
experience a range of difficulties in the academic setting. The children coming from a
background where financial status is low often experienced poor socio-emotional processing,
motivation, poor cognitive, and language development (Luo et al., (2016). It affects self-esteem
of the students, lack of basic skills, diminished expectations, and poor communication. In this
context, support from the adults and proper relationship with them other than parents facilitate
academic performance (Ng & Li, 2014).
Self-efficacy theory:
Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory suggested that self-efficacy is defined as one’s belief
regarding their ability to succeed in a specific situation or accomplish a task. In order to achieve
a goal, self-efficacy plays a crucial role since it alters the beliefs of the individuals regarding
their ability to achieve the task (Luo et al., (2016). In this context, teachers play a crucial role in
supporting the students to achieve an academic goal. Therefore, according to the self-efficacy
theory, the strategies used by the teachers to support the student include:
 Alteration of low self-efficacy by increasing self-efficacy through effective
communication. Effective and therapeutic communication empowers students to a belief
in themselves and increases their efficacy (Hamidah & Said, 2019).
 Encourage the student to involve in the academics by taking a creative approach
 Allow students to make their own choices and make their
 Provide frequent feedback to the student and praise them so that the self-esteem of the
student can be increased.
 Use creative approach to involve students.

2
PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY
Resilience theory:
Resilience Theory argues that it's not the nature of adversity that is most important but is
the ability to adapt in this situation. In other words, resilience is defined as the ability to adapt
well in the situation such as stress, financial crisis, and trauma (Langley, 2019). Taking a deep
insight into the situation, in Singapore, the children coming from low socioeconomic
backgrounds often have poor resilience. In this context, teachers play a crucial role in building
resilience. The strategies are the following:
 Building a positive relationship with students
 Teaching social and emotional skills, building self-awareness
 Develop moderately to the difficult task which can be performed under stress
(Denovan & Macaskill, 2017)
 Building a positive relationship with the parents of the students and involve
parents in the teaching
 Fostering a positive relationship to motivate them
Other strategies to support children include:
 Altering the school policy for supporting the students from low socioeconomic
background
 Motivating them through positive reinforcement such as positive remarks and praise
( skinner’s operant conditioning)
 Supporting the children by developing peer-based activities so that resilience can be
learned.

3
PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY
References:
Denovan, A., & Macaskill, A. (2017). Stress, resilience and leisure coping among
university students: applying the broaden-and-build theory. Leisure
Studies, 36(6), 852-865.
Hamidah, J., & Said, I. (2019). Implementing Blended Learning Toward Students’ Self
Efficacy in Writing Class: Students and Teachers’ Voice. Journal of English
Education and Teaching, 3(3), 270-286.
Langley, j. L. (2019). Utilizing Games to Build Resilience in Children Impacted by
Divorce. Game Play: Therapeutic Use of Games with Children and Adolescents,
221.
Luo, W., Ng, P. T., Lee, K., & Aye, K. M. (2016). Self-efficacy, value, and achievement
emotions as mediators between parenting practice and homework behavior: A
control-value theory perspective. Learning and Individual Differences, 50, 275-
282.
Ng, X. L., & Li, J. (2014). Policy analysis exercise: Pathways to academic excellence for
students from low-income families [Policy brief]. Lee Kuan Yew School of
Public Policy. http://www.beyondresearch.sg/PAE%20Final%20Report%20For
%20Beyond.pdf