Why children hide school marks from parents, according to psychology
Psychological research indicates that children often hide poor school marks to avoid negative interactions or critical conversations with their parents. Studies suggest that a supportive parent-child relationship encourages children to seek help rather than disengage from academic setbacks.
Why it matters
Understanding the psychological drivers behind academic concealment can help parents foster healthier communication and reduce student stress.
A child comes home after a test, puts the answer sheet deep inside a schoolbag and says nothing. Another quickly changes the subject when a parent asks about the exam. Some children may even wait for their parents to discover a report card rather than handing it over themselves. But psychology suggests there can be more behind this behaviour than simply not wanting to admit a poor score. For some children, the difficult part may not be the number on the paper. It may be what they expect to happen once their parents see it.Relationship with parents influences how the child deals with setbacksResearch on academic stress and coping has found that the way children experience their relationship with parents can influence how they deal with setbacks at school. A child who scores 48 already knows that the result is disappointing.
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