Positive mental health: A key factor in academic perseverance
Positive mental health: A key factor in academic perseverance
WITH SUZANNE VALLIÈRES, MARIE-HÉLÈNE VÉRONNEAU AND GABRIELLE B.
Fondation Jeunes en Tête is pleased to support Hooked on School Days. For the past 20 years, the annual week-long campaign has played an important role in educating and helping young people persevere at school and realize their full potential.
The campaign is an opportunity for us to remind everyone of the inextricable links between mental health and teens’ educational success and the critical role the entire school team plays in helping them stay in school.
In this article, a psychologist and researcher break down the issues, and a high school teacher provides some practical advice on how to strengthen young people’s determination so they don’t drop out before graduating.
THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ON PERSEVERANCE
According to Suzanne Vallières, psychologist and speaker, “perseverance requires motivation, and without motivation there’s no perseverance. What makes young people lose or gain motivation can come down to the personal contact they have with their teacher and how invested the parents are in their child’s educational success.”
A teen’s academic progress is an indicator of their educational success, but this success also depends on psychological and social factors that shouldn’t be overlooked. High levels of distress and anxiety, as well as body image issues, are just some of the factors that can hinder their progress at school.
“Anxiety disorders in young people can take many forms,” explains Marie-Hélène Véronneau, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and an expert in mental health and educational success. “For example, a student who develops a school phobia experiences intense fear of the school environment and will seek to avoid it at all costs to escape their distress. In the same way, a social phobia may manifest itself as a fear of doing certain things in public, such as speaking, writing, or eating, and this may also lead to them avoiding school. Generally, a student who’s anxious about performing certain school tasks, for example, an exam, cannot perform to their full potential, because their emotional distress or intrusive thoughts (such as ‘I’m going to fail’) take up too much space.”
Psychologist Suzanne Vallières adds that “learning can only happen when you’re emotionally present.” Even teens without major mental health issues who are going through a hard time can experience a dip in their academic performance.
Perhaps they’re dealing with a tumultuous romance, a conflict with a friend, or a challenging family dynamic. Keep in mind that, during adolescence, emotional needs take precedence over learning.
A teen who’s very anxious may be imagining future arguments with friends or they may feel isolated. “They may be unavailable to learn as a result. Eventually, young people who don’t have many positive social relationships or who feel psychologically unwell at school may see their grades or school attendance go down. These kids are even at risk of dropping out,” says Vallières.
THE TEACHER’S ROLE IN MOTIVATING TEENS
According to the Revue de psychoéducation,1 youth who suffer from depression are ten times more likely to drop out of school.
Marie-Hélène Véronneau, mental health expert and professor at UQAM explains that “when someone experiences depressive symptoms, it’s not uncommon for them to abandon an activity they were once interested in. If a student was motivated in the past to come to school because of their passion for science or to take part in a school sports team, a depressive disorder could cause them to disengage and attend school less often.”
Suzanne Vallières adds that “young people who drop out of school often experience a great deal of psychological distress and discouragement. They don’t believe they can make it. Often, these teens are also worried and afraid to talk about their difficulties.”
Véronneau goes on to remind teachers, “teens who are having a hard time at school are often less motivated because they feel incompetent. By experiencing success, whether by getting good grades, showing a talent for drama or sports, or through strong social skills and positive leadership, students can regain a sense of competence, and as a result, a sense of belonging at school.”
A teen who feels ashamed, tries to hide their struggles, and refuses to seek help can become socially isolated. “This isolation prevents them from meeting another basic need—that of belonging to a community (in this case, the school community). It’s important to break the isolation and show the student that they’re still valued by their peers and teachers, despite their struggles,” says Véronneau.
According to a Léger2 survey conducted as part of the Hooked on School Days campaign, 57% of young people cite a parent as a positive influence for their staying in school, 37% a teacher, and 33% their circle of friends. The role of the school team and the family unit is critical; we can’t underestimate the impact of intervening and talking about perseverance.
As a high school French teacher, Gabrielle B. tries to do her part for teens: “I like to encourage my students and make them feel comfortable sharing their distress me by connecting with them through small, daily interactions such as a look, a smile, or a compliment. It’s important to me that they feel that I’m interested in what they’re going through and that I’m there for them if they need me.”
It’s vital to recognize the early signs of distress in teens so we can help them from the outset, equip them with solutions that work for their specific situation, and, ultimately, prevent them from losing interest in their education.
👉 Check out our barometer to help you better assess a teen whose behaviour or remarks worry you.
Gabrielle B. adds, “When students confide in me about something serious, I ask them if it would be okay for me to discuss it with the SET (special education technician), or if we could go to a calming space together where school specialists are available. I try to quickly redirect them to available resources while reassuring them that I’m there for them. Having someone else listen to them who’s more qualified than I am can only help!”
Our role as a safety net for teens is to take an interest in their concerns and start a conversation to better understand what’s going on in their heads. Feeling listened to and understood makes it easier for them to confide in us, so the negative emotions or anxious thoughts don’t build up and become a serious problem.
4 STRATEGIES TO USE IN THE CLASSROOM TO SUPPORT STUDENTS
Many teens struggle with academic perseverance and educational success every day. Here are a few ways you can have a positive impact on your students:
1 – Be open and attentive, and speak with kindness.
Pay attention to what you say and how you say it.
Here are a few examples of remarks to avoid when talking to young people, and some suggestions to use instead:
❌ “You never focus.” / “You’re never organized.” / “You never stick with anything.” / “You never proofread your writing.”
✔ “I’ve noticed you’ve been less focused on your studies lately.” / “It seems like you’re finding this a bit hard.” / “What could we do to help you get on track?”
Teens can go into a downward spiral all on their own; what they need from us is to feel safe, know that we see their distress, and get support through concrete solutions to the challenges and obstacles they’re facing.
“It’s important to encourage a student’s strengths. If they have a hard time with math but write really well, praise their writing to help instill a sense of competence. You could even encourage them to publish something in the school newspaper as a way to let their talent shine. Students who don’t feel competent at school are less likely to make an effort or participate. Without additional help and support to overcome these psychological difficulties, they’re at risk of dropping out,” explains Marie-Hélène Véronneau.
Try to remind students of the many connected spheres that make up their lives, pointing out that self-fulfillment and educational success go hand in hand. Luckily, there are countless sources of motivation outside the classroom that can help them stick with their studies.
You can help your students identify their personal strengths with this exercise:
👉 Download the Understanding your strengths lesson plan
2 – Start a conversation about mental health.
It can be hard to bring up the topic of psychological distress with students who feel that you won’t understand what they’re going through.
High school teacher Gabrielle B. explains how she builds trust with her students: “I ask my students what they did over the weekend and how things are going. I think it’s these little points of contact that make young people feel comfortable sharing the bigger, more personal things.”
📝 How to help teens experiencing psychological distress
3 – Encourage good sleeping habits.
Social anxiety, performance anxiety, eco-anxiety, and the fear of being judged by others in social media are all issues that Suzanne Vallières sees daily with young people who come to her clinic. These stressors can cause deep fatigue.
She points out that “fatigue directly impacts a young person’s motivation and perseverance. In fact, their fatigue can be so significant that it adds to their distress or anxiety. It’s important to remember that a good sleep routine is essential for maintaining balance.”
4 – Find the right approach.
As teachers, we can engage and involve our students by asking them for their ideas to help make their studies more stimulating.
Suzanne Vallières explains: “Let’s not forget that we’re teaching young people who are overstimulated by the endless images appearing in their social media feeds, which weakens their ability to concentrate. A great approach is to simply ask them what they’d like and what would motivate them so they have the right learning conditions and feel good about it.”
Marie-Hélène Véronneau agrees that it’s important to “involve students as much as possible in the decision-making around what measures will help them, instead of just imposing solutions on them. A sense of autonomy, i.e., having the impression that their ideas and opinions are heard and taken into account in decisions that concern them, helps satisfy their need for independence, which is just as important as the need for competence and social belonging.”
Gabrielle B., who currently teaches Grade 7 and 8 French, explains: “I have a student who was unable to speak in front of others. For an oral assignment, I put her together with two of her friends for a private ‘discussion.’ I wanted to evaluate her understanding of a novel they’d read. She was outstanding and got an A+. I’m hoping she’ll realize that she’s actually very articulate, and that the more she practises, the easier speaking in front of others will become. I try to do my small part to help each student overcome their challenges so they feel confident about their value and potential.”
By adapting to young people’s realities and offering them what they need, we can help them stay the course and realize their dreams. Together, we must do all we can to encourage, listen to, support, and guide them so they discover their potential and persevere!
“Teens’ mental health plays a critical role in their ability to stay in school. It’s our collective responsibility to focus on bold prevention strategies that empower young people to be all that they can be. Given the complex challenges of our times, awareness and education about the factors that promote positive mental health must be our priority.” – Antoine Beaudoin-Gentes, Program Director, FJeT
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1Cintia Quiroga et al. “Depression in adolescence: A differential risk factor in school drop-out in girls and boys from disadvantaged areas,” Revue de psychoéducation 35, no. 2 (2006).
2Le Réseau québécois pour la réussite éducative. Léger survey for the RQRE for the Hooked on School Days campaign (2022). https://bit.ly/3HaPosY