Academic Buoyancy and coping in school

Put simply, academic buoyancy focuses on a student’s ability to deal with the everyday challenges in school.

Things like working under the deadline of a project, getting homework completed or staying up-to-speed with course content in any subject.

How was academic buoyancy investigated?

Researchers looked at the key components of academic buoyancy and, importantly, how they can be developed.

They wanted to see what learnings could be made from observing students who did well and those who didn’t fare so well in a school setting.

What did they find?

The found 5 components of academic buoyancy that can be specifically worked on to help you in school (and indeed at home).

They are:

1. Confidence

 

2. Co-ordination

 

3. Commitment

 

4. Composure

 

5. Control

A brief look at each of the “5 C’s”

1. Confidence – a belief within a student that if they work hard, they will have the abilities to complete a specific task successfully.

• Addressing things like any negative self-beliefs you might have is an important area to address and enhance.

• Open dialogue and fostering an environment of encouragement are key activities to engage in as a parent or student.

• Confidence, like so many other areas of life, is something that can be developed and is not just something we are born with.

2. Co-ordination – better planning, preparation and time management to avoid procrastination.

3. Commitment – Displaying high levels of resilience, determination and persistence.

4. Composure – the ability to manage nerves, anxiety and stress.

5. Control – focusing on what is important and what can be controlled

What does mean for you as a student or the parent of a student?

Taking time to individually assess each of these components is a worthwhile activity as it provides a framework of identifying existing strengths and weaknesses.

By doing so a student can look to strengthen any/all areas identified within this “academic buoyancy” to allow for increased chances of successfully meet everyday challenges in school.