“It is just good luck that brought you to the top. Next time, you will fall behind when the math test doesn’t happen to be so easy,” my math teacher would say after every test I got a high score. “Don’t be complacent about your score of 99.5 but think about why you lost the 0.5,” my father would warn me like this.
These voices struck me in my first year of junior middle school. My confidence faded away. I felt anxious in situations involving maths, so my mathematical performance went downhill. Later, even when I gained achievements in other areas, I could not feel happy but feared my weak points being found out.
In high school, I ranked top in every other subject except maths. Good academic performance lured my teachers and parents to highly expect me to get into the admissions of the top 2 universities in China. Meanwhile, they thought that I should improve my performance in maths, which was considered an obstacle. I felt under great pressure and did even worse. Inevitably and luckily, I put myself into psychological counseling. My counselor helped me overcome emotional problems, guided me to develop a habit of self-examination, and ignited my interest in psychology. I was once helped, and I want to be a thinker and helper for young people who have the same problem. So, I started pursuing a second degree in psychology in my sophomore year.
Not until I read Dr. Olivia Harper’s research papers did I realize that the feelings keeping bedeviling me since my adolescence was an impostor phenomenon (IP). When sharing this topic with some friends of mine, I found that I was not alone to feel this way, which inspired me to conduct my first psychological research, “Impostor Phenomenon in Harmony University”.
Firstly, questionnaire survey results showed that of 95 participants, 65 were identified as impostors, which suggests the prevalence of IP in Harmony University called for more attention. Furthermore, a case study was conducted to explore the origins of IP (please see in admissions written work 1). From the participant’s and my own early life experiences, I realized that both school and family educational factors could contribute to the development of IP, which had a negative impact on students’ academic attainment and mental well-being.
From this research, I am inspired that besides cognitive development, psychosocial development is also a significant contributor to students’ academic performance. Moreover, education is the responsibility of both schools and families. Thus, in my master’s, I want to explore how family and school educational factors affect children’s academic attainment and how family and school can jointly improve children’s well-being.
Through your program, I want to enrich my theoretical knowledge related to children’s development and education as well as advance in research methods, especially quantitative data analysis. This course provides access to theories and research on child development. The Qualitative Methods Hub and the Quantitative Methods Hub at your department will develop my comprehensive understanding of key concepts and principles of research methodology. So, I am convinced that I will gain the knowledge and skills to conduct my own research. Moreover, one thing making this course stand out among programs of other schools is that the design and evaluation of educational programs and policies are also involved, which can help me find practical ways to truly bring changes in children’s educational environment.
I wish to continue from this master’s program to a PhD. My doctoral project will focus on IP in adolescence. I will assess the prevalence of IP among adolescents, identify its triggers of it in schools and at home, and find ways to prevent and intervene. After graduation, I plan to start my career as an educational psychologist in the faculty of education of a university in the UK. I would like to work jointly with schools and families to improve the children’s education environment. If I can make a positive impact on the next generation and help children lead happier lives, I will consider that my most outstanding achievement.
Leave a Reply