Rivalry in the classroom: How academic competition can bring on stress and anxiety
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School sixth-former NIA VAIKLA returns with her thoughts on the pros and cons of competition in the classroom
COMPETITION is becoming increasingly present in our daily lives. Friendly rivalries, competing for a promotion in the workplace or taking part in athletic competitions have been seen, experienced, and discussed for decades.
Our competitive drive is growing every day and minor rivalries occur in almost every area of our lives – from the clothing we wear to the cars we drive.
We can only assume that the desire to succeed and compete is rooted in our biology, as a result of evolution.
As we have evolved, the strength and occurrence of competition between humans has developed alongside us; more noticeably it has grown into the field of academics.
Competition is no stranger to the classroom, with the increase of students competing in academic decathlons, and university placements becoming increasingly more selective, it has become second nature for students to be driven to beat their fellow classmates in as many areas of their school lives as possible.
Competitiveness amongst classmates may bring about certain positives to a student’s academic career, the most predominant being an increase in a pupil’s drive and ambition, leading them to work harder, to achieve their goals, whilst simultaneously beating their competitors.
This will enable the development of strong work ethics, as well as promoting learners to discover their passions across a range of subjects.
The increase in a student’s motivation can also be highly beneficial to our economy.
With students working hard, gaining greater knowledge and qualifications, they will be able to enter the workplace and use their skills learned in the classroom to strengthen the workforce, helping our economy, and therefore enabling greater, positive changes to occur globally.
However, some may say that the negative side to competition being present in the world of academics outweighs the positive effects.
A commonly experienced pessimistic consequence of academic rivalry is the increased amount of stress and anxiety experienced by pupils due to rivalrous classmates.
Feelings of anxiousness, aggression, and stress go hand in hand with competition. When present in the classroom, it may worsen morale, students’ mental health and overall enjoyment and engagement within a subject.
Every day we are witnessing the decline of teenage and adolescent mental health. With over 40 per cent of teenagers suffering from anxiety related issues, there is no doubt that constant comparison of grades and other educational achievements increases the rate of anxiety experienced by students.
Furthermore, the fierce rivalry between students with young, developing minds can promote toxic behaviours and encourage them to focus on the wrong things.
Pupils may begin to use their overarching ambition to base their selfworth on how well they do in comparison to their peers.
The years of adolescence are crucial to a human being’s development, both mentally and physically.
The repetitive comparison of grades, teacher approval, and other scholarly achievements may manifest into a larger issue as the person develops, such as a loss of confidence or even a decline in mental state.
It is clear that the impacts that arise due to the competition surrounding those pursuing academics heavily affects many areas of our society, students themselves, and the world around us.
While competition is great to encourage students to work hard, it is evident that there is a fine line between positive and negative rivalry that must not be crossed in order to encourage and nurture healthy relationships between classmates, and their work.