Amman, Aug. 9 (Petra) -- Parents of General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihi) students will receive their children's results on Monday, marking the end of 12 years of school education and the beginning of a new phase of learning and knowledge, entry into the labor market, or, for some, another attempt at the exam.

However, experts say the results should be received and discussed within a sound educational framework, away from comparisons with others, stressing that a result is not the end of the road and that young people have multiple options ahead of them, while their psychological well-being and that of their families should remain a priority.

Family counseling and educational psychology specialists told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that Jordanian families awaiting Tawjihi results can follow more than 17 steps to deal with their children's results, whether satisfactory or otherwise, in ways that protect their psychological well-being and support their future.

They said the first step is for parents to control their reactions when the results are announced and view them as the beginning of a new phase rather than the end of the road. Other steps include dialogue and acceptance, avoiding comparisons with others, appreciating children's efforts regardless of their results, planning the next step, choosing positive words, and refraining from passing judgment on them.

They stressed that awareness and calm when dealing with the results, and helping children at this moment to understand themselves and their abilities, are among the most important steps parents should take. They also called for strengthening the concept of responsibility and helping children turn their results into self-awareness, self-awareness into responsibility, and responsibility into decisions, making the Tawjihi result a starting point for a more mature future while strengthening family relationships based on support and trust.

Educational psychology professor and learning and development specialist Rawda Al-Ramahi told Petra that, with the announcement of the Tawjihi results, parents and children experience a period of anticipation as they await the outcome of years of effort and upbringing, a moment shared by millions of students and their families around the world at the end of similar educational stages.

Families should understand that a child's Tawjihi result is not merely a set of numbers but also a confrontation with expectations and a test of the ability to accept reality as it is, she said.

"The results are not a judgment on children, nor a reflection of their future success or failure," Al-Ramahi said, adding that they should instead be viewed as an important educational message that needs to be read calmly and addressed with full awareness.

She pointed out that parents' reactions at this moment, from an educational and psychological perspective, remain deeply etched in children's memories of themselves for a long time and may never disappear.

If a result is met with an aggressive reaction, such as anger or comparisons with others, it can leave a negative impact, she said, whereas responding with dialogue and acceptance can turn the experience into an opportunity for learning and success.

"Results are important, but what is more important is that children emerge from this stage able to understand themselves, take responsibility for their choices and build their next steps," Al-Ramahi said.

Regardless of whether the result is successful or otherwise, parents should understand that the issue is not limited to the current result but involves helping children turn their results into self-awareness, self-awareness into responsibility, and responsibility into decisions that positively affect their future, she said.

True success, she added, does not lie in children achieving what their parents expected of them, but in building a strong relationship with them and helping them turn their current results into a more mature step towards their future.

Family counseling professor Khalil Mahmoud Al-Zyoud told Petra that it is natural for parents to feel dissatisfied with their children's results or, conversely, to experience joy and pride in their achievements.

What matters, however, is that their reactions are balanced and conscious and that the results are addressed within reasonable educational boundaries, he said.

Many cases of setbacks and failure can turn into success, Al-Zyoud said, making an appropriate response to the result an important step in shaping the next stage of the lives of both children and their families.

He said students at the end of secondary school are the product of years of effort, whether their parents shared that effort or not, and have the right to experience whatever emotions they feel after receiving their results.

Controlling emotions and reactions requires training and important parenting skills, he added.

Al-Zyoud urged families and students not to immediately resort to blame or make excuses about the exams or other factors but instead to identify the real reasons behind the result and acknowledge the effort made.

The next step depends on the result, whether that means continuing towards university, entering the labor market, or considering retaking the exam, he said, stressing that the result is not the end and that there are other doors and paths that can ultimately lead to the desired goal.

He also called for moderation in celebrations and warned against actions that could threaten public safety. At the same time, unsatisfactory results should be handled with moderation because excessive reactions can increase psychological pressure on children and families.

Some students, particularly those who are psychologically vulnerable, may be harmed by their results if they are not dealt with in an appropriate educational manner and kept within their natural perspective, he said.

"The world today is looking for skills, while qualifications are complementary to those skills," Al-Zyoud said, urging parents to focus on these aspects in the future, strengthen their children's capabilities, and help them develop skills that will benefit them in the years ahead.

Zaid Hani Al-Momani, a digital content specialist at Akeed, the Jordan Media Credibility Monitor affiliated with the Jordan Media Institute, told Petra that families awaiting Tawjihi results should avoid placing their children in comparisons through social media platforms, noting that much of the content published there may be misleading or exaggerated.

Families should also recognize that psychological harm can result from posts containing ridicule or bullying on social media, he said, stressing that awareness should be the basis for dealing with such "disturbing" digital content, which can negatively affect children regardless of their results.

Al-Momani warned families against reposting or sharing content published on social media because of the psychological harm it could cause their children.

Many such posts and videos remain in circulation for long periods, he said, adding that they can become embedded in memory and continue to affect children's psychological well-being at later stages of their lives.

//Petra// AF