Webster’s dictionary defines social promotion as progressing pupils through grade levels because of their age rather than academic achievement. Even though such pupils have failed to meet academic requirements and performance standards, they are nonetheless allowed to move to the next grade.
Retention, the other alternative to social promotion, is a policy that prevents students from progressing to the next grade due to poor academic performance. It is a practice that demoralizes students and affects them in different ways. Despite its many drawbacks, social promotion enhances the social and psychological well-being of the student without regarding their academic achievement.
Social promotion’s main benefit is that it does not compel children to have their peers leave them behind. It enhances the student’s overall well-being because it does not base its examination on terms of academic achievement but rather on the whole student.
It hinders the emergence of issues that may result due to re-learning. It eliminates negative thinking that may be adapted by students forced to re-learn what they previously learned and helps them look forward to new and exciting academic experiences.
Social promotion promotes the development of a student’s self-esteem by helping them become confident in what they do and who they are. It allows children to enhance their self-esteem because they are allowed to progress regardless of difficult circumstances. The practice increases the child’s feel-good effect on a child because they regard themselves at the same level as their peers. High self-esteem improves the child’s overall development by increasing their confidence levels.
Retention creates a lot of difficulties for students because it demoralizes them and discourages them from improving their academic performance. On the other hand, social promotion helps students to increase their learning by giving them the chance to prove themselves. It allows them to be more competitive by motivating them to think and act like their peers. Students who are promoted to the next grade tend to have better academic performance than those who are retained.
Retention is a significant factor that encourages students to drop out of school. Moreover, it encourages other problem behaviors, such as poor peer relationships and truancy, which hurt a student’s educational potential and future employment prospects. Social promotion ensures that students stay in their grades, thus encouraging them to stay in school and reducing incidents of truancy and school dropouts.
The age difference is a significant factor concerning a student’s physical development, which is greatly influenced by retention or social promotion. Retaining students are more physically mature than their peers, drawing a lot of unnecessary attention from their peers and teachers.
It is a situation that can harm a student’s social and psychological well-being. However, social promotion improves standardization and consistency in a classroom environment and reduces incidences of age differences. It improves the teaching experience by reducing the distractions retained students bring about.
The classroom size is a great determinant of the quality of education provided. The retention increases classroom numbers, affect education quality and strains budgetary expenditures. A large classroom might require additional teachers and resources, burdening the school. In contrast, social promotion prevents increased class sizes and ensures the smooth flow of academic activities. Manageable class size helps to improve the quality of education and increase the efficiency of teachers in discharging their duties.
In brief, social promotion is beneficial to the enhancement of a student’s overall well-being. It enhances their self-esteem and confidence, which are essential in helping them become more competitive and motivated. It is the best alternative to adopt to encourage the development of mature and responsible students who have the capability of competing successfully with their peers.