Psychological Correlates of Academic Achievement

Academic achievement is one of the main concerns of parents, instructors and especially students in today's academic environment. The pedagogical and psychological aspects of academic success have been discussed. Students must make a greater effort to increase their skills and capabilities to grasp the topic and skills to complete school assignments and projects in order to obtain outstanding academic findings. Furthermore, the support of parents and instructors may improve the confidence of children in their academic objectives and achieve them and get better outcomes. As we all know, university life is also full of difficulties and excitement. Students may get higher academic outcomes with constant support from parents, a pleasant study environment and the students' skills in the management of academic duties. For rural Sabah kids, some students may encounter difficulties including a low level of self-efficacy, a lack of psychological well-being and parent support. The evolution of contemporary education has been significantly impacted by psychology. There are several fundamental links and interconnections between psychology and education. The nature of human behaviour determines educational theory and practice. Educational psychology is designed to examine the behaviour of the pupils scientifically and to support the education process.

Due to the quick advancement of science and technology, society is getting more complicated and requires highly capable labour to keep up with its speed and growth. Academically accomplished people are seen as having a responsibility to progress and preserve society. According to Salami (2010), academic achievement is the primary objective of college students since it has traditionally served as the foundation for evaluating potential and talents, as well as a method of selection for further study and employment. Everyone in our world, according to Muola (2010), aspires to be successful. Academic success becomes apparent when a pupil develops into a competent, resourceful, and eager learner. Academic success is often something that students at a school, college, or university accomplish in a classroom, lab, library, or field setting. Other sporting or musical accomplishments are not included. It calls for commitment, giving up something, self-control, drive, and friendly relationships with parents, friends, and instructors. According to Crow and Crow (1969), academic performance is measured by how much a learner benefits from teaching in a particular subject area; as a result, achievement is measured by how much the individual has learned from the training that was provided to him. According to Codjoe (2007) and Muola (2011), a positive family environment is associated with improved academic results. Parents with higher levels of education are more likely to instil in their kids better educational ideals. Parental encouragement has a positive impact on their children's cognitive development, as suggested by Nommay (1989), Singh et al. (1995), and others. According to Bansal (2006), Wilkins (2009), and Ghazi (2010), a supportive home environment and parental support are the root causes of accomplishment motivation. The disparity in academic performance is brought about by differences in students' cognitive abilities, desire for accomplishment, attitudes, and interests in the topics that directly affect academic performance. According to Mehta and Kumar (1985), academic accomplishment is the mean achievement score in yearly assessment, which covers the whole curriculum.

Achievement is the academic success of students at the conclusion of a programme of study or the proficiency they really demonstrate in the academic disciplines in which they have been instructed. Achievement is the achievement of a person's performance or gained competency in relation to a certain body of information or ability. As a result, success is the shining crown that symbolises the honesty, openness, and tenacity of the achievers. Different people have defined the phrase in various ways. According to Stagner (1962), accomplishment is the level of competency or advancement students make toward mastering academic topics. Accomplishment, according to Crow and Crow (1969), refers to the degree to which a learner benefits from instruction in a particular field of study; in other words, achievement is measured by the degree to which a person has gained information or a skill as a result of the teaching provided to him. According to Saxena and Dwivedi (1979), "scholastic achievement" refers to accomplishments made in a subject's area of study after receiving instruction or training. Achievement, according to Clifford et al. (1986), is the task-oriented behaviour that enables the individual's performance to be assessed in accordance with certain prescribed criteria, both internally and externally. Achievement is heavily influenced by the growth of knowledge, understanding, and skill acquisition, claims Rao (1980). Achievement, according to Verma and Upadhyay (1981)6, is the level of proficiency reached by a person in a given field of knowledge following a certain amount of instruction. A student's accomplishment grade hints to how successful they will be in the future. After carefully examining the aforementioned definitions, it is clear from the analysis that academic achievement refers to the level of proficiency attained in academic work or as formally acquired knowledge in school subjects, which is assessed by the grades, or marks, that students receive in their exams. It demonstrates the degree of academic achievement in the different disciplines taught in educational institutions. It also shows how much and how well one has learned a topic after receiving training in it. Academic accomplishment influences one's style of life in addition to being a requirement for advancement to the next level and a predictor of future success. In light of this, it is necessary to research the variables that are crucial in determining a person's academic success. emerged as the determining determinant for individual advancement. Parents want their kids to accomplish at the highest level possible, so they even create academic success standards for them without taking into account their abilities and necessary physical health. There is a lot of pressure on students, instructors, schools, and the educational system as a whole because of this demand for high levels of accomplishment. In fact, despite the fact that many other results are anticipated from the system, it seems as if the whole educational system is focused on students' academic success. As a result, the school spends a lot of time and energy assisting pupils in improving their academic performance.

In a research that looked at the elements influencing academic achievement, the importance of success at the start of formal schooling was highlighted. However, it's possible to overlook the ways in which people vary from one another. The beginning points might be found in academic accomplishment itself, where there are significant variances from low performance to exceptional achievement. A significant portion of students always seem to be ordinary achievers, whereas a small number of students are determined to be high achievers on the one hand and a small number are poor achievers on the other. When schools provide more or less uniform instructional and environmental facilities, why does such a variation in academic accomplishment appear? Does this variation result from any psychological factors? Does this variation rely on innate traits? Or are all variations in academic performance result from a single element or a plethora of factors? The solutions to these problems, which often cross the thoughts of educators, educationists, and psychologists, are barely satisfying. Numerous studies have looked at various elements that have been determined to be responsible for a person's academic success, such as his personality, intellectual capacity, surroundings, etc. Such a factor seems to fall under two broad categories: Intellectual and non-intellectual factors are both important.

Everybody is stressed out these days for one reason or another, and adolescence is a challenging age for young people. During this time, they deal with a number of changes, including physical and psychological needs, developmental challenges, parental behaviour and attitudes, ambition in education and the workplace, frustration, conflict, stress, and anxiety. Any person's growth, including their personality as well as their academic The anxiousness and anguish one feels before or during a test is known as test anxiety. Students who have exam anxiety report having trouble focusing, experiencing mental blockages, and being easily distracted. Test anxiety comes on in waves, so when you first notice it, it will start to become worse, then it will start to get better. Three factors: physiology, behaviour, and psychology all contribute to test anxiety. Increased pulse, tightened muscles, sweat, and parched mouth are a few examples of physiological responses. Inability to act, articulate oneself, read and comprehend test questions, trouble organising one's ideas, and trouble remembering or recovering terminology and concepts are all examples of behavioural responses. Psychological responses may include, feeling nervous or uncomfortable, feeling disturbed, experiencing self- doubt or negative self-talk. When expectations of success or failure are modest or when desire is great but expectations of success are low, respectively, the degree of anxiety associated with intellectual mastery occurs. In the first situation, the youngster is very unsure about his test-taking abilities, which causes anxiety. If the youngster knew for sure whether they would pass or fail, they would be lot less concerned. In the second situation, the youngster appreciates intellectual proficiency but anticipates failing. Anxiety is likely to be produced when there is a gap between a desired outcome and the likelihood of achieving it.

Stress is a multifaceted phenomena that centres on the dynamic interaction between the person and their surroundings. It is also described as a stressor, a person's reaction to stimuli, and how a person interacts with their surroundings. It should be emphasised that stress may increase and improve an individual's performance to some extent. The majority of human successes, according to evidence, are produced under stressful circumstances. However, high levels of stress can have a number of negative effects, such as physical and mental illnesses, sleep disorders, restlessness, irritability, forgetfulness, abnormal fatigue, lowered immunity, frequent infections, headaches, poor concentration, memory loss, and a decrease in problem-solving skills. According to Steinberg and Darling (1994), study problems, anxiety, stress, and depression were reported by 50% of students who sought mental health services. They claimed that these circumstances influenced their subpar academic performance. Stress, anxiety, and depression have all been linked to one another. These three psychiatric

Described as "a mental state or chronic mental disorder characterised by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach; accompanying signs include psychomotor retardation (or less frequently agitation), withdrawal from social contact, and vegetative states such as loss of appetite and insomnia," depression is defined by Medilexicon as "a mental state or chronic mental disorder." The signs of depression are shown in the figure below.

There are several varieties of depression (depressive disorders). The most frequent disorders are major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder. Another research conducted in 2003 by Sherina, et al. revealed that 41.9% of students at one Malaysian public university tested positive for depression. They said that depression had an impact on their academic performance. This demonstrates how students' performance is affected by depression, with greater depression levels being associated with worse academic accomplishment.

Academic performance is largely dependent on good study habits. This is so that a pupil may only remember what is already stored in memory. When there are several subjects to cover and little time to study for exams, a student who does not devote enough time to reading may struggle to do well in those tests. According to Tschumper (2006), high school kids have extremely subpar study abilities. He pointed out that the emphasis on education has switched from imparting knowledge necessary for

The greatest way to help students learn is to demonstrate the worth and significance of the lessons being taught in the classroom. Students won't learn anything if they aren't interested in the subject matter. Utilizing a variety of instructional strategies and creating an engaging, dynamic learning environment in the classroom are crucial for achieving the ultimate aim of student learning. Numerous methods exist for how students learn. While some kids learn best visually, others learn best audibly or kinesthetically. Charts, graphs, and images help visual learners learn by providing visual cues. Reading and listening to lectures are both beneficial for auditory learners. Those that learn physically do so by doing. One, two, or three learning methods may be selected by the student. Due to these various learning preferences, it is crucial for instructors to include in their curricula activities that cater to each of these preferences in order for all students to be successful in their courses. The various learning styles are shown in the figure below.

Education and health are related. Academic and health concerns interact for children in middle and high school. Health hazards may be increased in students who do badly in school, which will negatively impact their success and increase health risks. Data from the Healthy Youth Survey in Washington State provide a fresh perspective on how health risk and academic success are related. The study addresses 13 significant physical and mental health risk factors and investigates how these particular health issues relate to the grades kids say they achieve in school. Academic achievement might be affected by any health risk. Students are less likely to succeed in classroom. Academic success may increase if even one health component is improved. According to the World Health Organization, proper nutrition supports and has an impact on every stage of life and every level of being. The connections between health outcomes, diet, and school life are studied within this wide perspective. Diet may have a variety of effects on learning. Nutritional deficiencies have a negative impact on behaviour in a variety of ways, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which makes it difficult to focus and finish activities. According to Edwards (2011), pupils who routinely ate breakfast outperformed those who missed breakfast on arithmetic standardised examinations. Breakfast gives a child's brain the energy it needs to function academically after a night of fasting. Skipping this nutrient may result in concentration issues, a shortened attention span, and memory issues. School breakfast programmes may also encourage kids to attend class more often and arrive on time, which will improve their academic performance.

A student's education must include physical education. Physical education has several advantages, including enhancing moral judgement, fostering social skills, and enhancing health. Students are given the chance to grow as leaders, create objectives, participate in cooperative learning, all while building a strong physique. Numerous studies have shown the value of physical education and the need for it to be given equal weight with math and science. It is clear from this study and other studies that exercise has a good impact on students' academic performance. The relationship between physical exercise and concrete indicators of academic success was investigated in a number of cross-sectional studies. Additionally, several intervention studies were carried out to investigate the impact of increasing physical activity and physical education programmes during the school day on either direct measures of academic achievement or indirect estimates of behaviours related to academic achievement (e.g., attention, memory, disruptive behaviour) (e.g., standardised tests, academic record, teacher reports). Mixed findings came from these research. Researchers found either no connection between physical exercise and academic success or a weak to moderately favourable correlation. The Exercise and academic success are favourably connected. Physically active students are more likely to succeed in school. Studies show that aerobic exercise improves cognitive performance by boosting the amount of capillaries in the brain, which facilitates the delivery of oxygen to the brain's cells and the removal of waste products like carbon dioxide (Allegrante, 2004).

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

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PhD Student, Kalinga University, Raipur