How to improve the Academic Achievement of Students?

Usually academic achievement is the marks secured in a subject or subjects. A critical analysis reveals that these marks are only indicators of the knowledge and capabilities attained by them in that subject.

Academic achievement should refer to the knowledge and capabilities acquired by each of them in science. Thus, academic achievement is the acquired potential (knowledge and capabilities) in a subject or subjects.

The question is how students acquire their potentials in subjects. Psychologists address this question using scheme theory.

Scheme means knowledge structure, which is created by the students in their memory. Knowledge structure is the internal representation of external realities. To illustrate, a student forms a knowledge structure of ‘bird’ (external reality) in terms of shape, wings, feather, flying and living in the nests or branches of trees (internal representation) knowledge structures-different types, characteristics, bending of light, convergence and divergence of light and image.

Later on, we can widen the structures by relating the phenomenon of refraction in nature i.e. (rainbow) and functions of optical instruments i.e. (human eye, microscope, telescope) it is stated by schema theory that learning takes place forming appropriate knowledge structures (schema) by relating new information e.g. principles of microscope to the existing knowledge structures e.g. principles of refraction.

The question is how we know that the student has formed the appropriate knowledge structure?

If we ask students why we use convex lens instead of concave lens in microscope, they will be able to answer only if he or she possesses appropriate knowledge structures about the microscope.

The answer to the question would indicate the student’s knowledge structures of a microscope. In this way, the marks awarded to a student represent his way; the marks awarded to a student represent his or her knowledge.

The knowledge is formed by relating new information to the existing knowledge. It means that appropriate domain-specific knowledge facilitates acquisition of new knowledge. Domain-specific knowledge means existing knowledge or pre-requisite knowledge which is necessary for learning new information in a subject.

The persons who have appropriate pre-requisite knowledge e.g. refraction principle learn more from new information e.g. microscope than from those persons who lack such knowledge in science. This is true of all subjects. In this way, a student makes progress in attainment of knowledge in a subject by relating new information to the existing knowledge. The progressive

Nature of knowledge attainment suggests the cumulative nature of learning. , It is expected that with knowledge the student attains related capabilities.

The knowledge discussed above includes comprehension. In other words, after learning, the principles of refraction, a student should not be able to recall, identify and recognize it i.e. (the concept of refraction) but should also be able to demonstrate, differentiate, illustrate and explain it. Knowledge is the base for attaining the related capabilities involved in the following:

1. Application i.e. (ability to apply the principle in a new situation).

2. Analysis i.e. (ability to compare, contrast and differentiate)

3. Synthesis i.e. (ability to derive, formulate, modify, originate) and

4. Evaluation i.e. (appraise, judge, assess).

Difference of Academic Achievement in Learners

The psychologists say that the learners be different their academic achievement.

1. The learners who possess appropriate pre-requisite knowledge learn more effectively than those learners who lack such knowledge. Differences in pre­requisite knowledge possessed by students create differences in the attainment of knowledge.

2. Secondly knowledge is attained progressively. Progressive differences in knowledge attainment lends to cumulative differences in knowledge attainment. This form of differences is called Mathew Effect. It means that academically rich get richer and those who are poor continue to be poor. In this way, differences in pre-requisites and cumulative knowledge lead to differences in the knowledge possessed by the students.

3. Thirdly, the learners differ in their capabilities to manipulate the knowledge in a given situation and the differences are identified in terms of the abilities to apply, analyse, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.