High Vs. Low Expectations in School
BY N. RAZBAN '23
High expectations mean high results. This is the mindset with which we’ve been raised. Media constantly bombards us with articles and books telling us why high expectations lead to success. Our teachers always tell us to aim high and expect a lot from ourselves. Our parents tell us to “shoot for the stars.” The ultimate goal is success, or what society defines as success for youth: good grades and achievements. Our culture is obsessed with pushing ourselves students harder and keeping our expectations as high as possible. However, to what extent are high expectations favorable, and when do they begin to work against us?
Countless studies have shown that high expectations yield high results. One, which compared different indicators of academic performance such as self-confidence, motivation, and parental expectations, found that students’ self-expectations were the strongest predictor of achievement. This makes perfect sense, as if a student expects a lot from themself, they will work hard to meet their standards. Low expectations, on the other hand, have many drawbacks. A study that looked at expectations for secondary school students found that low expectations equated to no expectations; students who aimed low had comparable academic results to those who did not expect anything from themselves. This was because setting low expectations meant the students settled for anything instead of pushing themselves to work towards a better result. Simply having expectations is clearly not enough to succeed; one must aim high to make true progress.
Although these studies found that high expectations yield better results, many of them overlook a key aspect of student life and work: mental health. Researchers focused on how students’ expectations of themselves affected their performance in school but neglected the other aspects of their lives. What happens when we expect a lot and fail? We have all experienced the horrible feeling of being confident about a certain test grade only to receive a much lower score than anticipated.
Expectations tell ourselves that our happiness depends on an outcome. So, the higher we set our expectations, the harder it is for us to achieve them and subsequently be happy. Essentially, when we set high expectations, we perpetuate a cycle of falling short and feeling disappointed about ourselves while still retaining these unachievable expectations. It may seem that lowering all of our expectations would solve our mental health problems, but a “mentality shift” is not always feasible for everybody and takes time to achieve.
Nevertheless, simply being aware of this cycle and its effects is a good starting point to understand our expectations and their impacts. According to a study about mental health and old age, happiness increases with age and negative feelings decrease. After retirement, some level of success has already been achieved, reducing the pressure to continually surpass one’s previous standards. Thus, expectations lower as people age, as they do not have a predetermined threshold to meet in order to be happy. Of course, low expectations are not always ideal as they may prevent us from doing our best work; but, they can be advantageous once something is out of our control, such as turning in an essay, because we can no longer affect the outcome.
Contradicting studies initially seem to make drawing a conclusion difficult, but in reality, these studies work together in their own ways. High expectations are proven to be helpful when we are still in control of a situation—while we study for a test, they can push us to achieve more. Low expectations are preferable once something is no longer in our control—after turning in the test, they allow us to move on, cushioning our mental health. Thus, in the ideal situation, we should maintain high expectations until we no longer have control over a situation to avoid the harmful aspects of both high and low expectations while reaping both their benefits.
Countless studies have shown that high expectations yield high results. One, which compared different indicators of academic performance such as self-confidence, motivation, and parental expectations, found that students’ self-expectations were the strongest predictor of achievement. This makes perfect sense, as if a student expects a lot from themself, they will work hard to meet their standards. Low expectations, on the other hand, have many drawbacks. A study that looked at expectations for secondary school students found that low expectations equated to no expectations; students who aimed low had comparable academic results to those who did not expect anything from themselves. This was because setting low expectations meant the students settled for anything instead of pushing themselves to work towards a better result. Simply having expectations is clearly not enough to succeed; one must aim high to make true progress.
Although these studies found that high expectations yield better results, many of them overlook a key aspect of student life and work: mental health. Researchers focused on how students’ expectations of themselves affected their performance in school but neglected the other aspects of their lives. What happens when we expect a lot and fail? We have all experienced the horrible feeling of being confident about a certain test grade only to receive a much lower score than anticipated.
Expectations tell ourselves that our happiness depends on an outcome. So, the higher we set our expectations, the harder it is for us to achieve them and subsequently be happy. Essentially, when we set high expectations, we perpetuate a cycle of falling short and feeling disappointed about ourselves while still retaining these unachievable expectations. It may seem that lowering all of our expectations would solve our mental health problems, but a “mentality shift” is not always feasible for everybody and takes time to achieve.
Nevertheless, simply being aware of this cycle and its effects is a good starting point to understand our expectations and their impacts. According to a study about mental health and old age, happiness increases with age and negative feelings decrease. After retirement, some level of success has already been achieved, reducing the pressure to continually surpass one’s previous standards. Thus, expectations lower as people age, as they do not have a predetermined threshold to meet in order to be happy. Of course, low expectations are not always ideal as they may prevent us from doing our best work; but, they can be advantageous once something is out of our control, such as turning in an essay, because we can no longer affect the outcome.
Contradicting studies initially seem to make drawing a conclusion difficult, but in reality, these studies work together in their own ways. High expectations are proven to be helpful when we are still in control of a situation—while we study for a test, they can push us to achieve more. Low expectations are preferable once something is no longer in our control—after turning in the test, they allow us to move on, cushioning our mental health. Thus, in the ideal situation, we should maintain high expectations until we no longer have control over a situation to avoid the harmful aspects of both high and low expectations while reaping both their benefits.
