Option #1 Dorothy Espelage has taken just one area – bullying at school – where she has used the methods of educational psychology to explore the social-emotional conditions of learning. Take an area of socio-behavioral learning interest or concern to you. What does the evidence tell? What are the main concepts we need to interpret the evidence?

I would like to talk Academic Pressure and its effect on students’ learning outcomes and mental health. To do so we'll need statistic reaserch and case studies to illustrate the concept of stress, the socio-ecological model to show the impact of different cultural values.

As mentioned in my comment on Scholar, an individual needs good social and emotional environment to learn effectively. Being in a “survival-mode” state of mind for a long period of time not only impacts one’s mental and physical health, but it also hinders the acquisition of any new information, especially if it is “irrelevant” to solving the individual’s issue, whatever their age may be. The following articles speak in detail about the effects of stress and the strategies to help students who are showing declining mental health symptoms.

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/129/1/e232/31628/The-Lifelong-Effects-of-Early-Childhood-Adversity

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response .

The following article by Michaela C. Pascoe et al. focused on the mental health of secondary, high school and college students throughout their education with surveys, self-evaluations and monitoring their academic results and well-being. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823# . The conclusion of the article states as follows: “[…] The ongoing stress relating to education has demonstrated negative impact on students’ learning capacity, academic performance, education and employment attainment, sleep quality and quantity, physical health, mental health and substance use outcomes. Increasing students’ stress-management skills and abilities is an important target for change.”

Furthermore, according to how tests are administered they may discriminate against neurodivergent and/or disabled individuals who have difficulty in demonstrating their acquired knowledge, making Academic Pressure even more daunting.

As Dr. Espelage explains through the Social Ecological Model to show how bullying could be found at different levels of the students’ environment, we could use it to see where Academic Pressure stems from and how much it can be weaved into a young learner’s life. 

socio-ecological model for mental health

Cultures which equate success with social capital acquired through degrees, having a degree or not will be linked to the value of a person, which will subjugate students to higher Academic Pressure and severely impact the mental health of whole generations.

The following short documentary speaks to the impact of the high-stakes final high school exam on students in South Korea. While this might seem an extreme case study, every year around the world this phenomenon can be observed around the time of final exams or entry exams. [Trigger warning - Viewer discretion in advised]

There are also examples of countries which have given a priority to healthy learning environments through policies and community work, as shown in the education section of the documentary "Where to invade next?" by Micheal Moore. 

While the SEL Skills illustrated by Dr. Espelage could definitely help the climate at a school and community, Countries who are struggling to have happier students who will later be knowledgeable leaders should focus on policies which value healthier learning environments.

Teaching how to pass a test is not the same as guiding students in their learning journey. As educators, intended as parents, teachers, coaches, it is important to check for understanding and assess the acquisition of knowledge of our students in order to tailor our teaching to their needs, we should work towards changing the conversation towards grades and personal value, and maybe alleviate some of the pressure these young learners bare.