The last goal of misbehavior is avoidance of failure, which makes you feel professionally concerned and frustration. What do you usually do, you give up trying or referrer the student to support services and what the student response is, continues avoiding tasks.
Origins of behavior are: rule of the red pencil and unreasonable expectations of parents and teachers. Students believe that only perfection is acceptable; students star mentality and emphasis on competition in the classroom.
The active characteristics of avoidance-of-failure behavior are frustration tantrum: student loses control when pressure to succeed becomes too intense. The passive characteristic of avoidance-of-failure behavior are students procrastinates, failed to complete projects, develops temporary incapacity, or assumes behaviors that resemble a learning disability. The student's legitimate need is success.
The silver lining in avoidance-of-failure behavior is that student may want to succeed if can be assured of not making mistakes and of achieving some status. For some severely discourage students, there is no silver lining.
The two principles of prevention are encouraged and "I can", rather than "I can't," belief or foster friendships and social isolation.
Two intervention strategies are, make mistakes okay and recognize achievement. Making mistakes okay: the fear of making mistakes keep students stuck in the avoidance-of-failure rut. They interpret ever mistake, no matter how small, is proof that they can't do anything right-ever. We can help them learn to accept mistakes as part of the learning process. Recognize achievement: if students were to receive as much recognition for achievement as they do for failure, avoidance-of-failure behavior could be eliminated. Achievement or improvement in any area needs to be acknowledged. When students fearful of failure received recognition from others, especially from teachers and classmates, I begin to feel capable and to believe that they can successfully connect and contribute.
