Correlation between personal responsibility and academic success

¶ … Personal Responsibility and Academic Success

There are many determinants of academic success. Indeed, a review of literature indicates that those who excel in academics have certain traits that their colleagues lack. One such trait is personal responsibility. In basic terms, personal responsibility has got to do with being accountable for one's actions. This text seeks to highlight the direct relationship that exists between personal responsibility and academic success.

The Correlation Between Personal Responsibility and Academic Success

Through a research brief, Wisconsin Education Association Council (2012) notes that "there is an extensive body of research showing that students who assume responsibility for their own learning are more motivated, more self-reliant and more effective learners." In a way, students possessing a greater level of personal responsibility tend to assume responsibility for their own learning. Further, being personally responsible for ones own learning allows for the development of key competencies which go a long way to aid the learning process. To begin with, personally responsible students tend to be more involved in their studies than their peers. Personal responsibility in this case denotes control. It essentially differentiates between those leading from those being led. When a student possesses a high degree of personal responsibility, such an individual is able to control his grades and/or academic performance through his efforts. Effort in this case could be in the form of allocation of more time for study or even enhanced classroom participation. This could further be reinforced by the move to enhance the learning process outside the traditional classroom setting; all of which call for personal responsibility.

Students possessing a greater level of personal responsibility also tend to be more competent in the management of many other aspects of their lives which could in one way or the other impact on their academic performance. For instance, a personally responsible student is more likely to prioritize activities than a student who is not personally responsible. With a wide range of activities competing for the student's attention including but not limited to hanging out with friends, completing schoolwork or even watching TV; a student must be able to effectively allocate his time on the basis of the urgency and priority of tasks at hand. Hence in a way, students who are personally responsible also tend to be good time managers. According to Helms and Rogers (2010), time management has largely got to do with the proper selection of tasks so as to enhance accomplishment within a well-defined timeframe. The author further notes that in a way, "poor time management seems likely to interfere with positive academic results" (Helms and Rogers, 2010). Given the correlation between personal responsibility and effective time management, it remains largely instructive that personal responsibility does impact positively on academic success.

It can also be noted that students possessing a greater level of personal responsibility are more likely to set personal goals (be they academic or otherwise) than students who possess a low degree of personal responsibility. As I have already noted in the introductory section, personal responsibility has largely got to do with being accountable for one's actions. Personally responsible people know that if they turn out to be failures in life; they have themselves to blame. On the other hand, such individuals are aware of the benefits that come with winning. Based on their tendency to take full responsibility for both their failures and successes, personally responsible students set valid educational goals and in a way, this is what motivates them to perform even better in their academics. Hence in basic terms, given the tendency of personally responsible students to set achievable life, career and educational goals and objectives; such students are more likely than not to succeed in their academics.