Abstract
Students with perfectionistic tendencies may be present in classrooms; teachers would benefit
from knowledge regarding contributing factors to, outcomes of, and evidence regarding
intervention. The purpose of this paper was to provide an overview of evidence regarding how
perfectionism has been defined, the role of biology and environmental factors in
perfectionistic tendencies, the impact of perfectionism in the academic setting, and whether
there is any benefit to interventions designed to alter perfectionistic tendencies. It was found
that biological factors are related to perfectionistic tendencies; however, environmental factors
such as parenting style/family characteristics are also important. Perfectionistic tendencies are
evident in childhood and are believed to remain fairly stable over time. Some interventions
may reduce levels of perfectionistic tendencies in certain individuals, but it seems that
reducing perfectionistic thoughts and behaviours may also be detrimental for some. Because
there is a lack of research directly regarding perfectionism in the school system,
generalizations from students and nonstudents samples are used to develop some
recommendations for teachers working with students who may be perfectionistic. Suggestions
for teachers who have students with perfectionistic tendencies are provided.
Courtney R. Schruder, Glynn W. B. Sharpe, Tracey Curwen. (2014) Perfectionistic Students: Contributing Factors, Impacts and Teacher Strategies , Journal of Elementary Education, Volume-24, Issue-1.
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