Personal Responsibility

Introduction

One of the most important areas that impact the life of an individual and where personal responsibility can be practiced is education. Personal responsibility in the educational process implies that a student willingly accepts the standards of an educational institution and makes personal efforts to adhere to those standards. The moment when a student starts to blame circumstances, economic conditions, friends, or family for his/her failures may signify that this person rejects personal responsibility for one’s own actions for various reasons. Considering that the difference between taking personal responsibility and blaming others is the success and failure respectively, assuming personal responsibility is the key factor for achieving success in academic learning.

The Relationship Between Personal Responsibility and College Success

Personal responsibility means that when a student fails to achieve educational goals, he/she does not try to find other people or circumstances outside of himself/herself to blame. It also means that students have the capacity to demonstrate the qualities of self-dependent learners and take ownership of their academic achievements. Brown (2009) stated that personal responsibility is based on self-sufficiency, fairness, and personal flourishing and helps to develop the student’s full potential. An individual is capable of assuming full personal responsibility in the environment where it is possible to make informative, responsible, and reasonable judgments. There is a strong relationship between personal responsibility and academic achievements. College success frequently depends on the ability of a student to practice self-regulated study (Brown, 2009; O’Neill 2012; Linder, 2013). Responsible self-regulated study occurs when a student demonstrates behavior and attitudes that expand one’s intellectual skills. For example, successful students assume responsibility for their education through active participation and involvement in their studies. Furthermore, personal responsibility is manifested when students set educational goals that reflect their life desires and career aspirations. Moreover, learners demonstrate personal responsibility for their studies by understanding that their actions affect learning and by practicing effective time management (Brown, 2009; Linder, 2013). Lastly, Ljunggren and Ost (2008) claim that there is a definite connection between college success and proactive approach, resourcefulness, diligence, and confidence that self-regulated learners demonstrate as they view knowledge acquisition as a process within their control. Therefore, the analysis of relevant literature indicates that there is a strong association between personal responsibility and student’s ability to master self-regulating learning skills and succeed in academic studies.

The Plan to Practice Personal Responsibility

A student can enjoy developing of his/her full potential once he/she learns to assume full personal responsibility for the academic success. As a demonstration of responsible behavior, learners should apply time management and planning to ensure success in the academic achievement (O’Neill, 2012). Following is the five-step preliminary plan to practice personal responsibility in education and incorporate effective strategies for academic success.

1. Step 1. A student must be willing to actively listen, take notes, ask questions, and minimize classroom distractions to remain in charge of his learning experience (Linder, 2013).
2. Step 2. Establishing educational goals in alignment with one’s desires and career aspirations (Brown, 2009).
3. Step 3. Developing a time management plan that allows establishing control of a study time, avoiding procrastinations and massive, last-night efforts to prepare for exams.
4. Step 4. Planning and controlling the amount and form of one’s own instructions and increasing the standard of engagement in studies by dedicating more time to reflect on professors’ efforts and discuss class content with friends and classmates.
5. Step 5. Enhancing and creating advantageous learning environment by managing stress, coping with demands of studies, work, and personal life, maintaining good physical and emotional health and engaging in successful learning practices (Brown, 2009).

Conclusion

Education is the one of the most important areas in a person’s life where an individual can obtain great benefits from taking personal responsibility, in order to develop to his/her full potential. It is noted that academic success depends on how effectively a student takes personal responsibility for his/her academic success. Thus, personal responsibility manifested through self-directed study has a significant impact on academic achievements. The effectiveness with which a student can control his own instructions and manage time may be enhanced by developing a plan that will facilitate taking on the responsibility. To the contrary, lack of personal responsibility reduces the achievements and knowledge acquisition. Thus, taking into consideration that personal responsibility and blaming others or circumstances account for success and failure respectively, being proactive in taking personal responsibility for one’s achievements is instrumental for academic success.