Students’ Conceptions of Academic Success: Themes, Guiding Lines and Contradictions

Abstract

Academic success is a popular topic of psychological and pedagogical studies, but such studies usually emphasize factors that affect academic success or variables associated with it.What constitutes academic success remains an open question if at all posited.Researchers tend to use simplified operationalizations, mainly the academic performance, and ignore the students’ point of view.The purpose of this study is to clarify students’ perceptions of academic success.A qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews about learning experience was conducted.The study involved 20 students from various Moscow universities who completed their first academic year (aged 17—42).The technique of reflective thematic analysis was applied.Main themes are the following: “Performance” (learning is considered successful if grades are high and there are no academic troubles), “Knowledge” (learning is successful if the curriculum is being assimilated, or professional knowledge increasing, of one’s horizons are expanding), “Sense of self” (learning is considered successful if there is interest in studying, enthusiasm, as well as internal comfort and/or self-development).Themes are arranged in a sequence, moving from external criteria to internal ones.A number of contradictions are found in the informants’ perceptions of success.In the continuum of themes, different understandings of success are attributed to different instances (university, profession, life activities, Self) and allow us to see the diversity and inconsistency of higher education meanings that explain the observed paradoxes.

Взаимосвязь Представлений О Будущем И Образовательных Результатов В Юношеском Возрасте

“…In the process of vocational education, the longer the period of time for which young adults see themselves in the future determine their higher readiness to get educated at a higher level (Yaroshevskaya & Sysoeva, 2021;Lukina & Solov'eva, 2019). Such conclusions were demonstrated by N. L. Lukina and E. A. Solov'eva in their analysis of the relationship between plans for future Shilova Associations Between Visions of the Future and Educational Outcomes of Young Adults Russian Psychological Journal, 2022, Vol.…”

Psychological Content and Dynamics of Learning Activity Goals in Students of Pedagogical University

“…Выше было показано, что студенты не формулируют в качестве значимых целей обучения получение высоких академических оценок -даже диффузные цели студентов 4 курса связаны с будущими достижениями и результатами. Также было установлено [29], что не только академическая успешность не отражает результаты реального прогресса профессионального обучения, но и сами студенты не рассматривают ее как адекватное отражение успешности обучения.…”

Students’ activity in modern educational space: psychological and pedagogical aspects

“…The transition from external criteria to an internal assessment of own progress i.e., "sense of self-perception" (interest to disciplines, involvement in the educational process, etc.) may be singled out among major areas of learning success [8]. The activity of students is transferring to the virtual world [9], causing transformations in learning, cognition, and communications [10].…”