Do you have students who no matter how you plan and model engaging lessons or differentiate instructions, still bemoan completing tasks? The type of student who wants you to hold their hand to do the tasks and who eventually gives up? Then what you are facing is learned helplessness.
WHAT IS LEARNED HELPLESSNESS?
This is behavior, where someone feels powerless to change their situation despite having the ability to do so. This concept, originally coined by psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in the 1960s, has profound implications for education, particularly in how students respond to challenges and setbacks.
Learned helplessness occurs when individuals believe that their actions have no effect on the outcome of a situation, leading them to stop trying even when they have the power to change their circumstances. It usually stems from repeated exposure to adverse events believed to be unavoidable where the individual learns that it is helpless to change their circumstance even in new situations where positive outcomes are likely to occur (Trindade et. al., 2020).
Students in academic environments may develop a fixed mindset after continuous failures or challenges. For example, students who struggle with reading comprehension may develop a belief that they will never improve, leading to decreased effort and poor academic performance, creating a self-fulfilling prophesy (Trindade et. al., 2020).
This repeated failure means that when students face this type of internalization it becomes part of school culture. In some places that means certain schools become stigmatized, as learned behaviour is linked to impeded academic achievement, reduced motivation and depression (He, 2021). As you can imagine, the long term effects of learned helplessness can be detrimental. Teachers can help students avoid learned helplessness by building trusting relationships and fostering a sense of community
WHAT CAUSES LEARNED HELPLESSNESS?
Learned helplessness does not occur overnight. Oftentimes students would have faced repeated failures over a time, especially if they don't understand the reason behind the failures or when they don't receive support when they fail. When they get to this point they often start believing that success is beyond their grasp and inconsistent expectations from teachers and parents can be the final straw leading to students becoming frustrated and more confused about what is expected of them. They inevitably resign themselves to failure. (He, 2021 and Ziegler et. al., 2021).
As you can imagine, the long term effects of learned helplessness can be far reaching and detrimental. Students who fall into this mindset are more likely to experience low motivation as well as depression and anxiety which can further hinder their ability to engage with their education. These factors can lead to avoidance behaviours which can limit their learning opportunities (Buzzai, 2021).
HOW TO PROTECT STUDENTS FROM LEARNED HELPLESSNESS?
Teachers can help students avoid learned helplessness by building trusting relationships and fostering a sense of community. Making sure to take into consideration that ranking, zoning and streaming contribute to learned helplessness by perpetuating social stereotypes about the restricted skills of some students. Research by Buzzai et al., (2021) and Reivich et al., (2023) found a relationship between lower tracked schools and learned helplessness in students. They asserted that students in lower tracked schools lack a sense of belonging and perceive negative relationships with teachers. Cultivating positive relationships encouraging students to see challenges as opportunities, teaching problem solving skills and giving students some autonomy over their learning can help teachers ensure that students feel empowered.
Copyright © Lana. S. 2024
References
Filippello, P., Buzzai, C., Costa, S., Orecchio, S., & Sorrenti, L. (2020). Teaching style and academic
achievement: The mediating role of learned helplessness and mastery orientation. Psychology in the Schools, 57(1), 5-16.
Ghasemi, F. (2021). A motivational response to the inefficiency of teachers’ practices towards students with learned helplessness. Learning and Motivation, 73, 101705.
He, H. (2021). Students' Learned Helplessness and Teachers' Care in EFL Classrooms. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 806587.
Reivich, K., Gillham, J. E., Chaplin, T. M., & Seligman, M. E. (2023). From helplessness to optimism: The role of resilience in treating and preventing depression in youth. In Handbook of resilience in children (pp. 161-174). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Trindade, I. A., Mendes, A. L., & Ferreira, N. B. (2020). The moderating effect of psychological flexibility on the link between learned helplessness and depression symptomatology: A preliminary study. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15, 68-72.
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