Are You Striving or Suffering in the Pursuit of Academic Validation?

By Morgane Brading, Peer Wellness Educator

In elementary school, I was the student that always achieved perfect teacher remarks on my report cards alongside the perfect stream of straight As. In high school, I was known as the student that scored in the 90s in every subject. My life revolved around getting into the university of my choosing whilst juggling every extracurricular you can imagine. Even so, once in university, when everyone said not to be disappointed at my first low mark, I was the person who proved them wrong. But at what cost? There is a term for when students will stop at nothing to keep up high marks but will also crumble if the final grade is not up to their standard. This describes what is known as academic validation.

What is academic validation?

Academic validation is known as the act of relating one’s self-worth to their grades. It is when your identity, happiness, and self-esteem are all tied to your academic achievements. Academic validation is allowing a percentage on an exam, essay, or assignment to have all the power over your self-perception. Students who struggle with relying on academic validation, may not even know it is controlling many aspects of their lives. Reflecting on the importance you place on academic accomplishments is the first step toward breaking the cycle.

The cause behind academic pressure

It requires a lot of reflection on your life and past experiences to attempt to solve the mystery of why you need academic validation. For many, it stems from the need to live up to their parents’ success, high demands, or even their image and reputation. It may also be true that culture and upbringing have played a part in a child's education and the requirement for high-powered careers. In contrast to this, those who lacked opportunities or experienced adversity in childhood may also be driven to succeed because of those experiences.

More relevant in recent years is how academic validation may also stem from social media. Maturing in an environment such as this one is quite difficult when you think about how students may perceive the information in their social media feeds.

The side effects of academic validation

Some students perceive the pressure associated with academic success as the motivation they need to study. The reality is that a grade can often come at the expense of a youth’s mental wellbeing and physical health. A study released in the fall of 2020 identified that 68.8% of students find tests and assessments to be a major source of stress. Similarly, a comprehensive study completed in 2019 states that academic validation correlates with many mental health-related symptoms including anxiety, an increase in substance use, depression, little and poor-quality sleep, higher than average levels of stress and burnout, an overall poorer quality of life, and a phenomenon known as depersonalization.

Depersonalization is when someone feels disconnected from their body, sense of self, or thoughts. It is commonly referred to as living on “auto-pilot.” Furthermore, the same study has found that 59% of students often worry about test-taking and 37% said they feel extremely tense when preparing or studying for said tests. Yet what is most jarring is that 50% of students have admitted feelings of academic-related anxiety regarding writing a test or exam, although simultaneously reporting that they felt prepared for the exam. This goes to show the extent academic pressure affects such a wide range of students across campuses.

How to manage academic validation and help regain control over your life?

It is important to note that not all advice and techniques introduced will be helpful to everyone. Nonetheless, many professionals agree that a possible technique to lessen the burden of academic validation is to challenge the feelings of stress with rationality. For example, if I’ve studied multiple hours over a week for an upcoming midterm, I can oppose my feelings of anxiety with facts such as, “I understand the material,” “I have reviewed all practice questions” and “I’ve asked my professor for clarifications.” By contradicting feelings of fear of imminent failure with rational, and truthful facts, students can begin to modify their way of thinking.

Another technique is expressing words of affirmation which can contribute to feelings of self-validation and increase self-esteem. That said, this technique may be more helpful with students who live by high standards brought upon them by external sources such as parents. Some professionals argue that ceasing to disclose grades to your family or friends, either great or bad, can aid in creating a barrier between the need for their approval and your grades. Only you should be able to dictate the importance of your academic success against the toll anxiety places on your daily life.

We hope that knowing about academic validation, as well as possible sources and causes, will help you gain insight into how the pressure to succeed in an educational setting may have begun to control parts of your life. Most importantly, you can begin to heal your relationship with your education. Remember, that Wilfrid Laurier University also has many resources available to students struggling with mental health through the Student Wellness Centre. Moreover, if you wish to be proactive in your wellness journey you can visit our wellness library for more articles or visit our workshops page for a list of upcoming events.

 

References

McNerney R. (2022, October 12). Overcoming the Need for Academic Validation. Stampede. https://www.milliganstampede.com/2022/10/12/overcoming-the-need-for-academic-validation/

NBC News. (2021, February). Kids Under Pressure: A Look at Student Well-Being and Engagement During the Pandemic. https://challengesuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CS-NBC-Study-Kids-Under-Pressure-PUBLISHED.pdf

Pascoe, M. C., Hetrick, S. E., & Parker, A. G. (2020). The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 104-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823

Swanson E., & Cole D. (2022). The Role of Academic Validation in Developing Mattering and Academic Success. Research in Higher Education, 63(4). Https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-022-09686-8