Anna Schulte

Examining the Connection Between Student Wellbeing and Work Completion

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Abstract:

This project aims to examine the connection between a student's mental state and their rates of work completion in the classroom. Many factors contribute to task avoidance such as organization, time management, and having difficulty finding a space to be brave at school. When students feel their voices are not heard and their abilities not accomodated, they become less likely to engage in classwork and develop a fixed, negative perception of their academic performance. In early secondary education, students are starting to carry more responsibility for their own education and adjusting to this new reality is challening when supports are not implemented. The methods in this priject aim to intervene when students start to develop this fixed mindset. Students completed a reflective survey about their moods and attitudes towards school as well as their number of incomplete assignments prior to and after implementation. Students engaged in Social Emotional Learning check-ins at the beginning of each class, allowing them to share their feelings with their classmates in a space where it was okay to experience frustration and success. Finally, students were tasked with tracking their own progress in class with checklists. These lists provided with the tasks they needed to complete for each lesson broken into manageable steps with suggestions for success along the way. This research aimed to examine what happens to rates of work completion when student abilities are considered and accomodated.