RESULTS day is always stressful – both for the kids getting grades and their anxious parents.
And if the grades are good, many mothers and country Show your appreciation, filling your successful teens with giftsfrom money to eating out.
But opinions are divided on whether this is the right approach to takeas the National, Higher and Higher Advanced tests are revealed.
Dr Oonagh DuffyGlasgow-based clinical psychologist said “bribing” young people gives them a false sense of expectation for the future.
The expert said: “I think bribing children to get ‘good’ exam results doesn’t help anything for a number of reasons.
“Trying to influence your children by promising money It can lead them to value only material things and perhaps expect to be rewarded for all kinds of “good” behavior.
“I wonder if this contributes to a more entitled society, where people are used to being motivated primarily by external things like money rather than internal motivators like feeling pride in difficult to work.”
Data from family finance company OneFamily showed that the average amount handed over for good results is £150.
But Dr Oonagh considers verbal recognition to be the way to go.
she said: “Praise helps young people feel good about themselves and develop positive self-esteem.
“I think it’s more important for parents to praise their children’s efforts and plan a Cool treat by a child who tried his best, but this doesn’t have to involve parents under pressure to financially reward their children, it could be a family movie night or an adventure.
“It could even be a meaningful conversation about how proud a father You feel like you saw your son working so hard for his exams.”
Kelvin College Deputy Director of Curriculum and Quality, Robin Ashton, sees thousands of students walk through the door every year. And as a father, he thinks it’s important to reward children if they do well in exams.
He said: “My view, probably more as a parent, is that it’s really important to recognize and reward the effort that your daughter or son has made.
“I even felt it on a personal level. I remember studying for O grades at the time and my mother and my dad didn’t even notice and I was like, ‘God, you don’t know how much work I’ve done’.”
But when it comes to what you actually deliver, Robin says it’s best to keep it ambiguous.
He said: “I don’t think it’s good to specify in advance, because if you don’t get the grades, you’re giving your son or daughter a double disappointment.”
“But it is very important to recognize the fact that this is probably the first time that a young person has made a real effort to try to achieve something over the course of a few weeks. It’s important to say, ‘you did your best and here’s something to reward you for that’.”
The university expert also said that it is essential to remain calm, whatever the results.
Robin explained: “It’s easy at that age to think that this is a starting point for the rest of your life, and in fact it’s the beginning of a big, long journey throughout your life.
“It’s important not to feel that because you didn’t get a certain grade, an opportunity is closed to you because there are a lot of opportunities out there.
“I would advocate for college as a really important part of this.
“For example, for careers that normally require a university qualification, students have invested their energies in their higher education courses and intend to go straight to university – but in fact thousands of students go to university through college and the advantage is that it is most supported route in its first year.
“It also doesn’t mean you have to go back a year because a lot of colleges, including mine, have really good deals with a number of colleges. universitiesso you can do a year at college and then move on to your second year at university.
HOW TO GET HELP
A DEDICATED helpline will be operational today for students and their parents.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) created the service, with careers advisors available to provide support and assistance.
It opens at 8am today, when around 145,000 students get their results.
Student Louise Davidson-Clyne was supported by SDS advisor Maxine Scott to start her dream photography course after asking for help last year.
Former West Calder High pupil Louise struggled at school because of dyslexia and was not expecting high grades in her S6 exams.
She said: “Maxine was able to show me that she still had opportunities with the results she had achieved.
“I didn’t think I would be able to get into a photography course, but she was able to help me see that I had the skills and ability to apply.”
The results helpline can be contacted on 0808 100 8000 and will be open from 8am to 8pm today and 9am to 5pm on Thursdays and Fridays tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the SQA will also open its free appeals service to students wishing to challenge their grades at 9am on Tuesday.
In addition, a Scotland-wide test will give students in some subjects access to marked exams through their school or college.
The SQA believes the change will help students decide whether or not to appeal their result.
Whatever your children’s grades, Robin said the main thing is not to feel like they are the be all and end all.
He added: “People leaving school can now work until they are 70. Therefore, we have a career of more than 50 years ahead of us.” the journey ends before it even begins.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
