I grew up in a household that valued high grades. I remember my father always expecting me to score a 100% on every test taken. I also remember the unconventional methods I sometimes had to use in order to achieve the seemingly impossible A+. Fast forward almost 3 decades later, I vowed that I would not put that kind of pressure on my kids once they get to their middle school years. Initially, I only took that decision because it affected me as a child. However, since I started working with students for the past 10 years, I have noticed how academic pressure, especially the one enforced by the parents, can do adverse effects on the teen's self-esteem, performance, and overall motivation, not to mention the adverse effects it has on their mental health, causing anxiety, depression and chronic stress.
Self-Esteem
High parental expectations and the emphasis on academic success can make teenagers feel that their worth is contingent upon their academic performance. Failing to meet these expectations can cause feelings of disappointment in themselves and their abilities. in addition to parental expectation, academic environments today often foster comparisons among students, which can worsen feelings of inadequacy in those who don't perform as well as their peers. This constant comparison can slowly destroy self-worth and self-esteem. Some parents, meaning well, use the tool of comparison in the hopes that it will motivate their child, but more often than not, it nurtures their feeling of "I'm not good enough." Moreover, when teenagers feel they have little control over their academic outcomes due to high pressure, it can lead to learned helplessness, a condition where they believe their efforts do not matter. This sense of helplessness is closely tied to lower self-esteem.
Performance
Excessive academic pressure can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety, which can impair cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem-solving abilities. This can directly impact academic performance. Another direct effect of stress and anxiety, caused by academic pressure, is sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep, in the long run, has a negative impact on cognitive processes such as concentration, memory, and decision-making, which are critical for academic success. In addition to all that, high stakes and constant pressure to perform can lead to performance anxiety, which can interfere with students' ability to perform well on exams and other assessments.
Motivation
Prolonged academic pressure can result in burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, detachment, and a sense of ineffectiveness. Burnout can lead to a lack of motivation and decreased performance in school tasks. When academic pressure is high, students may become more focused on extrinsic rewards (e.g., grades, parental approval) rather than intrinsic motivation (e.g., interest in learning). This shift in the source of motivation can impact performance, influencing the academic results that parents anticipate. Another interesting study, published by Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A., found that academic pressure can lead students to adopt "performance avoidance goals", where they are motivated by a desire to avoid failure rather than to achieve success. This can reduce their willingness to take on challenging tasks and hinder their learning and growth.
On The Other Side
One can't solely focus on the negative effects of academic pressure without looking at the other side of the equation. Some level of academic pressure can actually motivate teenagers to achieve higher academic success and help them develop important skills, such as better study habits and time management skills. It also builds resilience and prepares them for high pressure situations in the real world. However, the pressure becomes overwhelming particularly when it originates from parents, and thus more likely to result in significant adverse outcomes. It's important for us parents to understand that educators, policymakers and peers already put that academic pressure on our kids and it is our job to balance that tug.
Sources:
A study in the Journal of Child and Family Studies found that parental pressure for academic success is significantly associated with lower self-esteem in adolescents (Luthar, S. S., & Becker, B. E., "Privileged but Pressured? A Study of Affluent Youth," 2002).
Psychology Today highlights that teenagers under academic pressure often compare themselves to their higher-achieving peers, leading to feelings of inferiority and reduced self-esteem ("How Academic Pressure Affects Students," 2018).
Research in the Journal of Educational Psychology indicates that perceived lack of control over academic success due to external pressures significantly correlates with lower self-esteem in students (Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L., "Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions," 2000).
The American Psychological Association reports that high levels of stress and anxiety due to academic pressure can lead to decreased academic performance ("Stress in America: Generation Z," 2018).
The Journal of Educational Psychology found that academic burnout is a significant predictor of lower academic performance among high school and college students (Schaufeli, W. B., Martinez, I. M., Pinto, A. M., Salanova, M., & Bakker, A. B., "Burnout and Engagement in University Students: A Cross-National Study," 2002).
The National Sleep Foundation indicates that lack of sleep due to academic pressure can impair students' cognitive abilities and academic performance ("Teens and Sleep," 2017)
A study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology highlights that extrinsic motivation driven by academic pressure is associated with lower academic performance compared to intrinsic motivation (Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L., "Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being," 2000)
The Journal of Learning Disabilities notes that performance anxiety due to academic pressure is linked to poorer test scores and overall academic performance (Cassady, J. C., & Johnson, R. E., "Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance," 2002)
Research in the journal Educational Research Review shows that high academic pressure can lead to disengagement from schoolwork and lower performance (Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H., "School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence," 2004)
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "A 2x2 Achievement Goal Framework." Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001).
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