A Game-Changing Tip to Reduce PSLE Stress and Improve Outcomes

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Not feeling pressured about the PSLE, although your child is in Primary 6 this year? The following scenarios are likely:

  1. Your child is a quick learner, and has been doing consistently well in school through the years.
  2. You’re not too concerned about the secondary school that your child enters.
  3. You’re not worried about the posting group that your child will be assigned to.

But if none of the above statements apply to you, life with a P6 child can be stressful.  

Academically, if your child isn’t scoring AL1s and AL2s in school, you may feel frustration in trying to help them ‘jump’ to the next score level. This also leads to a heightened focus on learning how to answer questions to gain the maximum marks. 

During this time, your child’s school may prepare materials or hold revision sessions to highlight techniques and frameworks for answering questions, as well as model answers. Although well-intentioned, this can lead to information overload for both children and parents.

As long as your child’s grades are not meeting your expectations, you may also feel the need to increase tutoring sessions for your child. Or you may be susceptible to the ads showing up on your social media feeds, urging you to purchase revision materials or sign your child up for last-minute PSLE bootcamps. This comes at a price, both financially as well as mentally.

Finally, you’ve probably heard that Direct School Admission or DSA applications have “hit a record high.” This is typically aligned with a child’s CCA (co-curricular activity) participation. For children who don’t have top grades, it may seem necessary to pursue a non-academic interest, just to secure entry to a ‘good’ secondary school. If you haven’t ‘pushed’ your child in this area, you may feel guilty for not helping them to advance.

If these concerns sound familiar, we invite you to join our KSP Family Huddle on 28 August 2024, for an online conversation on what matters most in helping children to succeed in secondary school and beyond. You can also share your stories on the KiasuParents forum — simply head to the PSLE 2024 discussion thread. And of course, seeking support from fellow parents in your network can help to allay fears or provide fresh perspectives.

As parents who have been through the PSLE before, we would like to suggest one change that your child can make, in order to emerge from the PSLE experience with a sense of accomplishment. Learn more below!

Improve Control Over Outcomes

While we agree that systemic change is needed to create more effective and equitable learning outcomes for children in Singapore, we know it can’t happen soon. 

There may be factors stacked against your child — perhaps they are less adept at crafting model answers, or they may retain less information than other children. If the family budget is tight, they might have fewer opportunities to receive help outside of the school environment.

In particular, we understand that if a family’s financial situation is unstable, this could be a likely scenario:

“When your child is performing poorly in school, and you are worried about not having enough money in the near future, you may choose not to make the investment (e.g. hiring a remedial teacher) to mitigate your child’s poor performance. Lower effort, driven by higher risk, increases the odds of low performance and feeds into lower aspiration and achievement in the long run.”

However, our readers are more likely to be from sandwich-class families — those who are neither ‘top’ earners nor fall in the ‘at risk’ category. In a relatively stable household, if you have what’s called an external locus of control, you might believe that your life is mostly shaped by outside factors, like luck or other people, rather than your own actions. 

On the other hand, an internal locus of control means you believe that your own efforts and decisions can help to shape most outcomes in your life.

Let’s look at how this might play out for a Primary 6 child:

Situation External Locus of Control Internal Locus of Control Healthy Coping Mindset
Too much revision homework “There’s no way to finish all these practice papers. I give up. I’ll just do badly in the PSLE.” “I have a valid reason for not having enough time to finish the homework. I’ll consult my teacher on the questions I should focus on most, and work on those first.” Shift from thinking the worst to realistic thinking: “This homework is a lot, but I can prioritise the most important tasks. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t finish everything perfectly.”
Unsatisfactory results “I failed because the teacher set such a hard test.” “I didn’t do well because I didn’t familiarise myself with Topic X. I can improve in the next test.” Shift from a permanent to impermanent perspective: “This is just one test. I can change my approach for the future.”
Not getting into a ‘good’ secondary school or posting group “I didn’t get in because our education system favours those who are smart and talented. I’ll never be that good.” “I didn’t get the placement that I wanted. But I can still work towards my goals, and hit my targets in the future.” Shift from a global to specific self-assessment: “This is just one setback. It doesn’t define my future outcomes.” 

Curious about how one can move towards a healthy coping mindset? These three steps can empower your child to take control:

  1. Set small, achievable goals: If your child is a typical learner, a 10% score increase is considered a reasonable academic goal. Going by the PSLE scoring system, someone scoring between AL2 and AL4 could aim for a jump to the next grade. From AL5 and below, the scoring bands are broader, so it may be less motivating to set a goal based on ALs or the total PSLE Score. Instead, your child can focus on specific and quantifiable efforts, such as: “I aim to revise each subject for 30 minutes daily, by working on five open-ended practice questions.” They can also set targets for getting higher scores on practice questions.
  2. Model positive thinking: As a parent, you can demonstrate an internal locus of control when talking about the PSLE. For example, instead of saying, “You need to do well for the PSLE, or else…” you could say, “Let’s get your preparation steps for the PSLE in order. If you’ve prepared well, you can be proud of that. As for the outcome, let’s discuss different possibilities and options. There are many ways to reach a goal, and your goals might also change in future.”
  3. Reframe setbacks as growth opportunities: Our guides on PSLE myths and overcoming DSA rejection provide insights for handling P6 setbacks, which are often about not doing well enough to gain entry to a desired school. Remember that events are not traumatic unless your child experiences them negatively, and their response will shape their future opportunities.

Need more support for PSLE 2024? Talk to us on the KiasuParents forum!