Young serious students/scholars under the fold of institutions of higher learning feel themselves overburdened. They remain under constant pressure to achieve many time-bound targets. Successive failures put them under depression. Many of them take wrong decisions in their life under stressful situations. So what kind of tips would you like to offer to those overburdened young student/scholars to successfully handle the ‘fear of failure’.
1) Some of the concerns you raise or have observed are amplified by feelings of isolation. i.e., I am the only one who is 'failing'. Of course, we know this is not true and 'failing' very much a part of a scholar's experience. As Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” To mitigate the 'fears of failure' Departments can help students form communities with each other with members who support one another. Research Groups with mentors and mentees also serve similar purposes.
2) If these issues are pervasive within an institution, some systemic changes have to be made. Institutions need to reflect on what are the explicit or implicit norms/expectations within a department are that pressurize students to be overwhelmed with the 'fear of failure'?
Dear Dr. Ngawang Gonsar thank you very much for your brilliant and exhaustive reply.
By challenging failure with the audacity of willing to pay whatever price just to succeed.
Dear Dr. Aladejare Samson Adeniyi thank you very much for your interesting and innovative reply.
Let the student know, that a very simple way to reduce fear of failure is to put in more effort to feel better prepared. Help the student to find more effective study techniques, for instance by exploring how useful different methods have been so far and suggesting new ones. https://www.eaie.org/blog/helping-students-overcome-fear-of-failure.html
Check https://personalexcellence.co/blog/overcome-fear-of-failure-student/
Also check https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/news/2018/may/7-ways-deal-your-fear-failure
Dr. Chinaza Godswill Awuchi thank you so much for your insightful reply. Many thanks also for sharing some relevant links.
Many universities have established the Department of Students Servuces and employed psychologists to assist University students with several coping and resilience strategies inclusive of controling fear of failure and academic frustrations.
Dear Dr. Haileleul Zeleke Woldemariam thank you very much for your specific answer.
Counciling or more teacher-student interaction may overcome the fear
Dear Dr. Muhammad Shahid Iqbal thank you for your insightful reply.
This link may be particularly useful:
OVERCOMING FEAR OF ACADEMIC FAILURE: REASONS WHY STUDENTS FAIL VS. THRIVE
https://www.nshss.org/blog/overcoming-fear-of-academic-failure-reasons-why-students-fail-vs-thrive/
7 WAYS TO REDUCE THE FEAR OF FAILURE
https://blog.innerdrive.co.uk/7-ways-to-reduce-the-fear-of-failure
This research article published in Psychology Research and Behavior Management may be useful as well :
Article Fear of failure among a sample of Jordanian undergraduate students
I particularly find this qualitative study published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being very useful:
Facing the fear of failure: An explorative qualitative study of client experiences in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program for university students with academic evaluation anxiety
Article Facing the fear of failure: An explorative qualitative study...
Here's another one:
Article “It Was Just That I Was Afraid”Promoting Success by Addressi...
Thank you so much Dr. Zane Asher Green for your wonderful contribution to the discussion. The shared links are quite relevant.
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