Responsibility/Control - Cengage



Persistence

Persistence is characteristic of students who keep their eyes on the outcomes and engage tasks until completed. Persistent students face a task with diligence, self-encouragement and a sense of personal urgency even when some tasks take extra effort and are repetitious.

Persistence is a cultural trait much admired and a quality that gets one better grades. However, many students enter college and interact with academics like a video game—turning academics on and off at the student’s discretion.

However, college success takes stick-to-itiveness over several years for most. College is not entertainment. It’s a clash between those who know and those who don’t. Over time, persistent students understand the rules of learning, and are willing to tough it out, being diligent and offering extra effort in subjects that they, on occasion, do not care for. Much of this comes from inside, where a sense of urgency and a willingness to give that extra effort, over time, becomes success. Sometimes the stubbornness aids the diligence necessary to complete an assignment itself. These students are known to have said, “I just had to finish it.”

Questions to Prompt Student Reflection

• Do you engage tasks through to completion?

• Do you have long term career or personal goals?

• Do you tune out when you can’t initially understand class concepts or assignments?

• Can you start a task, take a break and still follow through to completion?

• Do you generally only “live for today”?

• Is there a sense of urgency about your learning?

• Are you known for your extra effort?

• Are you stubborn when learning a concept that is difficult for you?

Counseling Interventions

The following are some suggested counseling interventions you can offer:

• Goal setting exercises.

• Long term planning exercises.

• Athletics

• Reaching beyond- physical fitness exercises

• Positive self talk exercises

• Team building assignments that show persistence

• Stress management

• Risk taking exercises

• Task focusing and concentration

Institutional Interventions

The following are some suggested interventions related to Persistence. Encourage students to utilize one or more of these services:

• Join athletic training experiences that work to expand current skill levels.

• Work as a student counselor, advisor or orientation advisor.

• Volunteer at the Campus Career Center.

• Volunteer to work at a city planning office.

• Attend a class planning workshop at the resource center.

• Make a hypothetical business plan in a business class.

• Enter a physical fitness program.

Ten Steps to Becoming More Persistent

1. Motivate yourself to follow through on papers.

2. Give it an extra 10 percent.

3. Complete steps of an assignment one at a time.

4. Reward yourself when you finish a difficult task.

5. Use your "will" to overcome repetitious tasks.

6. Remember that "I'm bored" is the enemy of persistence.

7. Waiting until the last minute is also the enemy of persistence.

8. Be stubborn when it comes to finishing assignments.

9. Prioritize your life and college tasks.

10. Ask a fellow student to hear you recite the details of class content.

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