Student Achievement

Here are some observations about student achievement by Birth Order. On the average, Only children will achieve higher because of their desire to do things right and because of their organizational thinking. Only Children students tend to have difficulty with algebra because they try to organize it rather than doing step by step. They get frustrated when they are not able to see the outcome at the beginning.

First Borns do well in order to impress others. They tend to do best when they have instructors who give them praise. In fact, they will tend to look for feedback by asking questions that do not need to be asked, checking with the teacher to see if they are doing something right and paying close attention to how other children do their projects, not to copy them but to surpass them. They like to work with groups where they can hear others' ideas. Their area of interest is research especially in the area of human behavior.

Second Borns do well when study involves details. They tend to do better in math, art, music but and may not do as well in social sciences that involve understanding emotion. They tend to write well, do neat work, and turn homework in on time. Because of their evaluative thinking they're the first to notice when teacher makes a mistake.

Third Borns do well if allowed to express their creativity. They generate lots of ideas, becoming motivated when they feel their ideas are respected. Put under pressure they tend to rebel, not wanting to do what they're told. They do well in problem solving. They also like to help other students, often associating with the poor achievers.

Fourth Borns are analytical. They tend to do well in social sciences and philosophy. They like to be challenged and tend to rise to challenges. In the classroom they tend to be either passive or aggressive. Because of their analytical thinking they do well when they are complimented on their thinking. They tend to see through teachers' efforts to influence them and are thus able to manipulate teachers.

The above descriptions can verify a student's Birth Order. Their behavior in the classroom may confirm their Birth Order personality. Or, their behavior may indicate that their Birth Order personality is something other than place in the family would dictate.