Espinoza 1
Ian Espinoza
Professor Kempler
English 96
25 October, 2012
Academic Success
How is it that students can take responsibility for their education and promote their
own academic success? Teachers play an important role in education, but it is important for
students to understand how they can take control of their educational experience. During my
first semester of college I experienced many setbacks. I was applying the same methods I used
in high school; however, I was receiving poor grades. The poor grades I received during that
time indicated I needed to change my approach. I realized during this time I was not putting
forth the effort necessary to achieve the grades I wanted. Because I was able to accept this
hard truth, I was able to make the necessary changes in my studying habits. In order for
students to take responsibility of their education and promote their academic success, the
following traits are essential: adopting a creator role, having a growth mindset, and being
intrinsically motivated.
By adopting a creator role students contribute to their own academic success. When
students believe their experiences result from their personal choices, they will be more prone
to make wise decisions. In “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education,” Paulo Friere writes about the
importance of decision making: “to alienate human beings from their own decision-making is to
change them into subjects” (11). Friere implies that without the ability to make one’s own
Espinoza 2
decisions, people have lost their freedom. Similarly, when students refuse to accept the results
of their decisions, they lose the ability to change the outcomes in their favor. Recently, I arrived
to class late, and I failed a quiz as a result. Instead of blaming my failure on outside factors, I
accepted that I needed to change my arrival time to class. By accepting failure as a result of my
own decision making, I was able to change future outcomes. Adopting a creator role provides
the freedom to create the desired outcome and achieve academic success.
Another crucial element of achieving academic success is having a growth mindset. In
the article “Brainology: Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn,” Carol S. Dweck describes
the essence of the growth mindset. Dweck writes, “In short, students with this growth mindset
believe that intelligence is a potential that can be realized through learning” (1). Students who
have a growth mindset believe academic success can be achieved by confronting challenges
and learning from mistakes. A student with this mindset would use failure in an academic
setting as a stepping stone to success. I was recently struggling in my math course; however, I
realized that my setbacks were a result of my work ethic. I began to put more effort in my study
habits because I believed hard work would eventually pay off. Because I chose to accept
responsibility and adapt my learning strategies, I set myself up for academic success. Having a
growth mindset also helps people become lifelong learners. Dweck illustrates the long-lasting
effects of the growth mindset. She states that “[i]t is the belief that intelligence can be
developed that opens students to a love of learning, a belief in the power of effort and
constructive, determined reactions to setbacks” (2). When students believe intelligence is
something that can be cultivated, they are more likely to have long-term academic success.
Espinoza 3
Academic success requires many factors coming together, and intrinsic motivation is
undoubtedly a crucial element in achieving this. Intrinsic motivation means something is
undertaken for the enjoyment of the task itself. Intrinsic motivation comes from within, and
not from outside sources. In his book, Why We Do What We Do: Understanding SelfMotivation, Edward L. Deci discusses intrinsic motivation. Deci notes, “I have always believed
that the experience of intrinsic motivation is its own justification” (46). Being intrinsically
motivated does not require outside rewards; engaging in that task itself is its own reward. If
students are intrinsically motivated to learn, they will be more likely to experience academic
success. Being intrinsically motivated to learn does come with challenges; in today’s
educational environment there are many factors that undermine intrinsic motivation. Many
rewards are in place for students to attain, and these rewards can hurt rather than help a
student’s motivation. Grades are an example of rewards than can negatively affect a student’s
motivation. Deci’s research into this area provids results that supported this claim. He
conducts a study in which one group of students is told they will be tested on the material
provided to them, and another group is given learning material without the expectation of
being tested. The results show that students who expect to be tested display inferior
understanding of the material. According to Deci, “Those who learned the material without
expecting to be tested displayed superior conceptual understanding relative to those who were
expecting to be tested” (48). Deci’s results confirm that rewards in education can undermine
our intrinsic motivation to learn. I often find myself chasing a good grade instead of attempting
to master the material. Obtaining a good grade is important for a variety of reasons; however, I
have the best results when motivated by the material itself. During my last year of high school,
Espinoza 4
I learned that being motivated by learning itself has long-lasting effects. During this time, I
realized that having the opportunity to learn new things is a blessing, and I have since treated
education as luxury. Because I am motivated to learn instead of obtaining a good letter grade, I
often experience success in my courses. Understanding the challenges that exist in education is
crucial to maintaining intrinsic motivation, and to understand this, students must be honest
with themselves about their reasons for pursuing their education.
While much debate focuses on the role of teachers in improving education, it is the
responsibility of the student to adopt these qualities and achieve academic success. When
students neglect to adopt these traits, they may become vulnerable to repeated failure.
Repeated failure can have dire results; students who experience this may become distraught
with education altogether. Failure itself can be a learning tool; however, repeated failure
indicates a change of methods is needed. By adopting a creator role, having a growth mindset,
and being intrinsically motivated, students are more likely to experience repeated success.
When achieving repeated success, students take control of their education.
Espinoza 5
Works Cited
Deci, Edward L., and Richard Flaste. Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self Motivation.
New York: Penguin Group, 1995. Print.
Dweck, Carol S. “Brainology: Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn.” Independent School
Magazine. 2008 1-2. Print.
Paulo, Freire. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum Books, 2000. Print.