Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Factors That Affect High School Grades

Many factors affect a student's ability to get good grades in high school.


Academic success in high school is important, especially if a student is looking to continue his education after public school. Even the brightest student may earn poor grades from time to time, and poor performing students can always improve. Performance often has more to do with outside factors than with the student himself. To understand why a student has earned the grades given to him, you must be aware of the biggest factors that affect high school grades.


Relationships with Peers


Bullying is one of the most serious factors that affect high school grades. When a student is picked on by other students, not only is it dangerous, but it can distract the bullied student so much that homework and academic performance becomes less of a concern than trying to deal with her bullies. Since high school students often don't report a bully, this factor can be the hardest to recognize. If a student's grades begin to suffer, bullying is one of the first possible factors that should be addressed.








Extracurricular Activities


Involvement in extracurricular activities in most cases yields better academic performance. When a student partakes in school related sports or clubs, she usually feels more involved with her school and fellow students. This leads to higher academic ambition and thus, higher grades. However, too many extracurricular activities can be damaging to a high school student's grades, as the student may have too much stress and too little time after his other activities to focus on homework and studying.


Parental Involvement


The less concerned parents are with their student's academic performance, the more likely the student is to slack off in school because he may feel that his grades are not important since his parents don't seem to care about them. When parents are active in their student's academic progress, students are generally more inclined to perform well because they feel they have their parents' support.


Motivation


Sometimes high school students simply do not care about their grades. This is one of the more difficult factors to deal with because it can have a variety of causes. Depression, family conflict, drug use and peer pressure can all result in low student motivation. When low motivation is the cause of a student's poor academic performance, having her meet with a school counselor is important. Motivation is a psychological factor and should be dealt with by a professional with experience in helping apathetic students gain more motivation.

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