Academic success is the achievement of one’s educational work. It takes dedication and hard work for any person to accomplish their academic success and dreams. The most important factor that determines a student success is the educational preparation of the coursework. This paper talks about the factors that determine the success of students in high school.
The determining factors in education include student’s motivation engagement, sense of self –efficacy, and family background. However, the above factors are directly related to the academic success of a high school student. Furthermore, students who can manage their learning need to be self-motivated, engaged, and disciplined. According to the recent ACT (2008) report, the strongest predictor of academic success, aside from prior academic excellence is the academic discipline. Motivation is not intrinsic. Research shows that a student can be motivated and engaged through environments that are intellectually challenging and supportive. And it gives students choice and autonomy in their learning (ACT, 2008).
Traits such as self-efficacy and self-concept are the most perceived. These characters are developed through a student “mastery experiences”. When a student masters a topic or skill, this enhances their self-efficacy. Another method of influencing self-efficacy beliefs is modeling, and it is effective when teachers or mentors model excellence for students and pupils see their potential reflected back to them. Families also play a significant role. As a matter of fact, students who come from families that learning was of high value have better encouraged working harder. They do everything in their position to make children concentrate on the learning process that eventually lead to academic success in high school (Breakthrough Collaborative, 2009).
In conclusion, just as intelligence cannot be fixed, neither is a student’s belief in own capabilities. It should be a goal of programs developed by a students’ academic self-concept, motivation, academic discipline sense of efficacy, and family background that support academic success. These factors influence academic achievement, and may help explain why prior academic success, by itself, is not always the best predictor of academic achievement.