Psychosocial Fallout from Grade Retention: Implications for Educators

To identify potential counseling needs of grade-retained students, in-depth qualitative interviews with eight adolescent subjects focused on their (and a parent’s) psychosocial responses to being “left behind”. The participants universally reported highly negative developmental changes related to grade retention, including lower self-esteem, social isolation from peers, shame about being older than classmates, resentment toward school teachers and administrators, and diminished quality of life—powerful effects which increase the risk of dropping out. Because grade retention affects at least an estimated 10 percent of students in the United States annually (Holmes, 2006, Levin, 2012, & U.S. Department of Education, 2009), school counselors, teachers and administrators with accurately targeted interventions could make a significant difference in the lives of many underperforming students.