Cultivating learner aspirations and self-belief

Abstract

The research team believes that to be a successful learner, the individual has to commit to the desired outcome in two ways: s/he has to want it, so it has to be relevant and important to her/him, and s/he has to believe that s/he can be successful. The team believe that both aspirations and self-belief are affected by personal influences, cultural/community influences and structural and societal influences. The team wishes to find reasons why significant numbers of school students don’t succeed in school, why many university students "drop out" of courses or don’t achieve the standard of which they are capable, and why adults fail to engage with the community activities. The team acknowledges that the influences on prospective learners of their families, their social and cultural groups, their local communities, and wider society in general are significant, but seek to establish whether low aspirations and poor self-belief are fixed or can be changed if leaders of learning and teachers create a culture of success in their settings, and develop a growth mindset in learners. This session explores the characteristics required for a positive learning culture, and the behaviours "teachers" might utilise in order to develop aspirations and self-belief in leaners.