Learners’ resourcefulness matters

MARILYN Price-Mitchell, a Developmental Psychologist, a Researcher, and a Writer asserted that children learn to use and apply knowledge as they gain skills in planning, organizing, decision making, and problem solving. As such, these skills are known to be the building blocks of resourcefulness that enable the ability of a child to find and use available resources to achieve his or her goal given a certain activity.

When children imagine multiple outcomes or set objectives or experiment with new approaches they actually negotiate challenges, they make important connections between knowledge and goal achievement. Eventually, they become conscientious creators of their own futures.

In fact, in the study conducted by Serap Akgun and Joseph Ciarrochi, they found out that high grades and test scores are not reliable indicators of resourcefulness. In fact, most teachers know bright students who struggle to resolve everyday problems. Because apparently being resourceful takes more than cognitive skill. It takes the ability to process information emotionally as well as intellectually.

Research further showed that resourceful children are not only better at achieving their goals, but also respond better under stress. Academic stress adversely impacted the grades of learners who were low in resourcefulness, however, academic stress had no impact on the grades of highly resourceful learners. Resourcefulness build optimism among learners, hence they have better academic disposition and are able to determine and shape their futures that will contribute to their lifelong happiness and success.

In the words of Tony Robbins, "Success is not about your resources. It's about how resourceful you are with what you have”. Resourcefulness does matter!