“A study on the reasons for low academic performance of higher secondary school students”

“A study on the reasons for low academic performance of higher secondary school students”

Education is one of the most crucial factors in empowering people with skill and knowledge and in giving them access to productive employment in the future. Educational quality is essential for the steady progress of a nation. Quality of education in every stage is thus a serious concern all over the world. This becomes all the more important in the age of globalization, which ensures that only the fittest, can survive. The changing global scenario and resultant major changes have had their implications in all sectors. The Education Commission, while describing the role of education in the social and economic transformation of India, has commented that the destiny of India is now being shaped in her classrooms (NCERT, 1966).

Over the years, academic performance has become the singular evaluative factor for an adolescent’s achievement and in consequence, they spend most of their time and efforts in academics than any other pursuit. Although education is not the only road to success, parents give more importance to academic excellence because they believe that good academic results can provide career choices, job security as well as high self esteem and lifelong happiness for their children.

Academic achievement is defined by Reber (1985) as the knowledge attained and skill developed in the school subject, usually designed by test scores. The level of achieving is assessed by success in a particular exam or standardized test. In Kerala society, especially the middle class spend most of their time, effort and money to educate their children and they consider academics of their children as their main focus and defining factor of their family status. The problem of low academic performance of students in the examinations is one of the most challenging problems that face students as well as teachers. This problem has many causes and it has educational, social, cultural and psychological dimensions.

However, the students' low academic achievement on the exam can be defined as: Low or weakness of the student's mark under the normal average in a study subject level as a result of a variety of reasons, including those related to the student himself, or those related to family, social and academic environment.

Consequently, this may lead to frequent repetition of failure, despite their abilities that qualify them to get the best marks. Individual differences play an important role in academic performance of students.

There have been many attempts to address the problem of low academic performance and some factors have been identified in explaining academic performance. Among the numerous variables researched, demographic status, intelligence, behavioral characteristics and psychological factors, namely, attitudes, self-esteem, self-efficacy and self-concept, have been used to explain academic achievement. Besides differences in ability, which are not easy to control, students have specific learning styles that may influence their academic achievement. Sternberg (1997) proposed that learning styles are at least in part socialized, suggesting that they can, to some extent, be modified. Thus, being aware of learning styles and their roles in academic achievement is of a great importance for educational psychologists, teachers and researchers.

The government schools have been found lagging behind the other types of schools in achievement. The presence of teacher effectiveness results in higher school achievement. The socio-economic status and academic achievement, and school quality and academic achievement, were found positively correlated. The institutional expenditure and academic performance were inversely correlated in public schools than in private schools. The quality components namely academic and non-academic manpower facilities and co-curricular facilities emerged as significant factors in determining academic performance in private and public schools. Full promotion, inadequate commitment of teachers, lack of physical facilities and lack of interest of students in studies as the main reasons for the low quality of school education. Parenting practices have profound effect on adolescent development.

In this development process, the most important issue and challenge of adolescent is their academic performance. Parents who were perceived as being more acceptant and using less control tended to have adolescents with higher academic success and competence. Beyond the existence of a parent - child relationship, the quality of the relationship is important. The structure of the family may influence the quality of parent-child relationships. Parents desire that their children climb the ladder of performance to as high a level as possible.

It is the parenting style of the parents of Kerala that influence the adolescents to attain better academic performance. In this present study is meant to find out the some factors that affecting higher secondary students academic performance. Research is often conducted to discover something new or reaffirm something. The need of the study arises due to gaps in research or reviewing past findings. Further a personal interest in the subject may cause the researcher to conduct a study in the concerned area. The problem of low academic achievement of students in the examinations is one of the most challenging problems that face students as well as teachers. This problem has many causes and it has educational, social, cultural and psychological dimensions. However, the students' low academic achievement on the exam can be defined as: Low or weakness of the student's mark under the normal average in a study subject level as a result of a variety of reasons, including those related to the student himself, or those related to family, social and academic environment. Consequently, this may lead to frequent repetition of failure, despite their abilities that qualify them to get the best marks.

Academic motivation can be a crucial indicator of the wellness of a student’s academic life. Academic learning comes with lot of pressure, challenges and expectations. Academic achievement is also a crucial indicator of the academic wellness of a student. The need of hour is to revalidate the study with respect to academic achievement and also to discover various other factors that may be related to ones academic performance. In today’s changing scenario and emergence of new challenges in the field of school education, it at times becomes difficult for the students to function in such a demanding and competitive set up. On the other hand the continuous need of performing well in school and the emerging competition makes the child more succumbed to disturbances and psychological problems, which in turn may affect their performance, and at times retention in schools.

It is the need of the time to understand the factors that affecting the higher secondary students’ academic performance so that it will help teachers and parents to help our adolescence in a way from their point of view. The social and economic development of a country is directly linked with student academic performance; the desire of success is derived from individual’s concept of himself and in term of the meaning of various incentives as they spell success and failure in the eye of others.   The student performance play an important role in producing the best quality graduates who will become great leaders and man power for a country thus responsible for the country economic and social development; student performance occupies a very important place in education as well as in the learning process. This study will be used to many people who may want to know the factors that could make or mar student’s academic performance. Therefore, the study is significant in this regard. For students, particularly secondary school student will be benefited from the findings of this study since the study provides basis for awareness and better understanding of how their current study habits affected their academic performance. Likewise gives them a more focused and clear perspective on how the specific factors related to their studies.

Poor academic performance at school is a serious issue that should be addressed. In order to find the right solutions, the first thing that must be taken into account is the cause.

The causes for poor academic performance can be external or internal.External causes include: school environment, social interaction, teachers and teaching techniques. While internal causes may involve problems at home, as well as children’s emotional state and maturity.

Regardless of what the cause may be, poor academic performance is not a situation that warrants punishment. It shouldn’t be about blaming people. It should be about identifying problems and solving them.

In other words, a proactive attitude is beneficial both for parents and for their children. The collaboration of teachers and therapists can also be very useful.

If you can, encourage good study habits for children with poor academic performance. It is all about being patient, establishing routines and guidance. This has to be done little by little in order to prevent them from feeling pressured.

6 causes of poor academic performance in children

1. Permissive atmosphere at home

Some parents aren’t strict with their children when it comes to creating and maintaining a routine as well as educating them in values such as responsibility and perseverance.

In a lot of these cases, the parents aren’t even interested in knowing what their child’s homework is about. It is clear that a parent’s bad attitude can significantly reduce a child’s performance in school.

Many children avoid doing their school work because their parents set bad examples. This has negative consequences in the short, medium and long term. Parents can also influence their child’s performance negatively if they delegate their responsibilities to technology.

The excessive use of the internet, smartphones and other electronic devices occupies some children’s time until it completely overshadows their interest in school. This can happen when parents have relaxed rules that don’t set limits on the use of these devices.

2. Problems at home

Poor academic performance can also be a reflection of problems at home. The most common problems are:

1. Abuse.
2. Sexual abuse.
3. Drug addiction.
4. Alcoholism.
5. Financial problems at home.
6. Incurable diseases (of one of the parents or close relatives). This is especially true when the person is in a terminal phase.

Child abuse can cause poor academic performance. The stress and fear that occurs when they’re at home generates tension that prevents them from focusing on school work.

Financial problems and health problems can also significantly affect a child’s academic performance. For example, a mother who is sick with cancer can be a serious concern for a child and take up all of their attention.

3. Post-traumatic stress and emotional distress

Post-traumatic stress can cause low academic performance in children. It isn’t always easy to identity but when it is, it must be attended by a professional. This condition usually manifests with the following symptoms:

• Fear.
• Nightmares.
• Irritability.
• Isolation.
• Nervousness.
• Lack of motivation.
• Adoption of atypical behavior.

Disorders that are associated with poor academic performance

4. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

This is a condition that affects approximately 3% of the world’s population. ADHD is characterized by increased motor excitability (running, jumping and difficulty focusing in the classroom).

Unfortunately, due to a lack of information, the term “problem child” is often used and the condition goes untreated. Detecting and treating the disorder will help improve the child’s academic performance.

Around 50% of people who suffered from ADHD in their childhood will suffer from it in adulthood.

5. Specific learning difficulties

Learning difficulties are more common than you think. Keep in mind that learning difficulties don’t imply mental retardation.

These difficulties can affect a child to a greater or lesser degreedepending on the case. It is always necessary to put into practice a sustainable strategy to solve the problem.

Learning difficulties like dyslexia or dyscalculia are causes of poor academic performance in children.

6. Poor nutrition and feeding habits

A bad diet can significantly affect a child’s academic performance. The lack of nutrients deprives a child from the energy needed to perform their activities and pay attention in class. A poor diet can also affect their biological development.

Trivedi, Vineeta (1988) carried out a study of the relationship of parental attitude, socio economic background and the feeling of security among the intermediate students and their academic background. The objectives of the study were (i) to study the relationship among parental attitude. Socio-economic status, feeling of security/insecurity and academic achievement of intermediate students with intelligence held constant. (ii) To study the relationship among the parental attitude, socio-economic status and feelings of security-insecurity. Following are the major findings- 1. There existed a significant relationship among parental attitude, socioeconomic status and academic achievement. (2) Students belonging to various level of parental attitude and socio-economic status differed significantly with the parental acceptance group showing better achievement than parental concentration or avoidance groups. Further, students of upper SES showed better achievement than the students of lower SES group. (3) There existed no significant relationship between feelings of security-insecurity, parental attitude and intelligence.

Taj, Haseen (1999) of Bangalore University carried out a study on academic achievement as a function of social class, parent child interaction, dependency behaviour and school management. The result indicated that all the four independent variables, namely, social class, parents child interaction, dependency behaviour and school management had significant effect on academic achievement of adolescents. Burwani, Rupa G (1991) carried out a study on enquiry into the nature of self-concept in the area of competence and its impact on mental health and academic achievement.

Prabha and Gupta, Monika (2000) made an attempt to find out of the effect of sex, intelligence and socio-economic status on the achievement of student in computer education. In the sample all the students of calls 11th who were studying computer as a subject were selected form five convent schools in Agra City. Data was collected though various tools- Group intelligence tests, SES scale and mark secured by students in the computer examination. The important result is that is that there is significant relationship between SES and computer achievement. There are several studies are conducted in this area. But the investigator felt that there is very few studies conducted in Kerala. This is the reason the investigator select this particular topic for the project. The aim of this research is to investigate the reasons for low academic performance among higher secondary school students. The information is collected a representative sample of higher secondary students. In the present study the investigator decided to use 5 point rating scale to collect the data. The present research is based on recent surveys of the reasons for low academic performance of higher secondary students in Kerala. Survey method was used in this study. The sample of this study is 30 higher secondary school students who joined plus one this year. This micro study is conducted in Sri Narayana Higher Secondary School at Thrikkanarvattom, Ernakulum.

The investigator collected the SSLC over all grade and Plus one first terminal examination mark to compare similarities and differences of the study. Among 30 students, 10 out of them were passed their SSLC with A+ and A grades. 10 students were C+. This difference can be seeing in the data analysis also. Majority of the students agree that their parents motivate them to improve their academic performance.

It was found that there is positive significant relationship between academic performance and study habits, which shows that study habits directly influence the career maturity among senior secondary students. The students having high academic performance are well organised in their study habits. They do their study in a well-organised way and devote their time to their study in the school life and at their home. Attitudes and achievement go side by side with each other. If the attitude to study is positive, the achievement is greater, which means that the better the attitude, the better the marks and learning. If the attitude to study is negative, the marks and learning are low; so, the development of a positive attitude to study is essential. The rural students have better attitudes about studying than the urban students. The reasons for the positive attitude to study among rural students are yet to be explored. The achievements of rural and urban students are vital indictors of their attitudes.

The attitude of female students to study at the secondary school level is more positive than for boys. The comparative study of marks obtained by girls and boys vividly displays that female students get better marks than boys, simply because of the positive study attitudes of the girls. Female students work with greater devotion and sense of commitment than boys. Devotion and sense of commitment are the indicators of positive attitude. Positive attitude to study can be developed, improved and polished. For this purpose, guidance and counselling can play a vital role. An interesting curriculum can be very effective in order to activate a positive attitude to study. Moreover, the friendly behaviour of teacher and parent to students can go a long way in connection with the development of a positive attitude toward study. One point to note is that, counselling psychologists should give considerable research attention to the importance role of students' contextual factors in the students' academic achievement, study habits and self-concept.

Many factors contribute to a student's academic performance, including individual characteristics and family and neighbourhood experiences. But research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most. When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, a teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership. Much research in recent years has focused on identifying the key factors in the student characteristics that promotes academic success. Qualities such as psychological needs and social skills, namely self-efficacy, motivation, attitudes and behaviour, academic competency, communication skills, collaboration, cooperation, and team capabilities are important for a student. Students who possess these skills are able to perform effectively with others and manage their studies efficiently. The higher secondary schools could target these factors in developing strategies in improving student learning and improve their academic performance.

According to Womble (2003) academic competence, self-efficacy, motivation, students' attitudes and behaviour, time management and engagement in class activities are some of the factors that affect an individuals' academic performance.  Most cognitive theorists and researchers have acknowledged that poor academic self-concept, low self-esteem, negative attitudes toward study, or erroneous perceptions of students may be associated with poor academic .The attitude towards study has a significant influence on examination performance and thus confirmed.  Class attendance is believed to have positive relationship with students' academic performance. It was expected that high absentees from the class would have a negative effect on the student's academic grades and would decrease their examination scores and grades. Many researchers recognized that class attendance is an important aspect in improving student's performance. Students who feel positive about themselves succumb less easily to pressures of conformity by peers, are more persistent at difficult tasks, are happier and more sociable, and most pertinent to this study is that they tend to perform better academically. Academic achievement is influenced by perceived competence, locus of control, autonomy, and motivation.

five strategies to improve academic performance. Most of them are simple, but if implemented (and this is the key) they are extremely effective.

1. 
   Set Goals and Work Backwards

The first step with any new student is to construct a set of goals. Goals enable a student to continuously track their progress and adjust accordingly. It is considerably easier to make small adjustments throughout the year, than to make a huge pivot come exam time (or after mock examination results, as is common). This helps students feel more in control, reducing anxiety during exams.

The process of setting goals also enables students to plan their time more effectively and quantify their progress. This enables students to re-evaluate their performance and determine what they can achieve throughout the year. In the words of Bruce Lee, “Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity”.

When I first went to university, my initial goal was to get a 2:1. However, when I achieved a high first-class average for my second year, my long-term goal immediately changed. I adjusted what I believed was possible for me and set a new higher goal.

This is how I have seen students jump several grade bounds during a single year. They set a goal, hit it early (which often surprises them, but fills them full of belief) and raise their expectations (and usually their performance). However, without setting a goal in the first place, the student cannot effectively measure, track or adjust their performance as they go. Their education becomes a shot in the dark.

2. Use A Wider Variety of Learning Resources
3. Use A Wider Variety of Learning Resources


Using different resources is significantly more effective than using a single resource. Here are a few reasons why:

You can gain different contexts and/or perspectives

Overall, anything that gives you a different perspective on a theory, idea or problem will act to enhance learning. A good example of this is to look at the earth from a single image. It does give you a perspective of what earth looks like, but you never get the whole picture until you look at it from several different angles (and get several different perspectives).

They can provide different associations and analogies

The same is true of using different associations and analogies. Everyone has had that experience where they haven’t understood something properly, and then suddenly it clicked with an analogy that resonated with them. In my opinion, it is certainly one of the most effective ways to learn more abstract subjects, such as the sciences or maths.

Different learning styles i.e. visual, auditory and/or kinaesthetic are stimulated

In my experience, using resources that engage visual, auditory and kinaesthetic have the best results for students.



As a private tutor I will often start with a syllabus textbook and then gradually introduce other subject specific reading materials.

I may also introduce videos, images, varied questioning and testing resources. This I find to be the most effective way for students to learn.

 It can help make learning more enjoyable.

There are two effective ways to memorise information: repetition and variation. While the former is very effective it is also quite tedious, particularly if it is from the same resource. Variation, on the other hand, is not only very effective but it can also make learning more enjoyable. Studies have also found that students learn better through active engagement.

3. Get Through the ‘Frustration’ Period

There is no doubt about it; trying to learn a new skill or material can be frustrating at first. However, this is a natural process and the friction caused by a lack of understanding will always disappear given enough exposure.

A great analogy for thinking about these stages is learning to drive (or if you haven’t reached that stage, riding a bike).

The ‘learning cycle’ suggests that we all go through four stages of learning. Here are the four stages using this analogy.

Unconscious incompetence (this is when you are grossly incompetent at something because you haven’t been exposed to it before).

When you start learning to drive, you don’t know how anything works. This stage can be very frustrating and you feel completely incompetent for the first couple of lessons.

Conscious incompetence (this is when you know you are not good at something despite having had some exposure to it)

After a few driving lessons you begin to improve but you still cannot not drive independently.

Conscious competence (this is when you become knowingly competent in some area of skill)

You have taken your test and are able to drive on your own. This stage, however, still requires a lot of conscious effort to drive on your own.



Unconscious competence (this is when you can do it on autopilot. It becomes natural and subconscious)

Finally, after a few months, driving becomes subconscious.

One of the key challenges of secondary and higher education is getting a student to the last two stages in the learning cycle. The challenge being that many students are exposed only to new information for a few lessons at most.

The problem arises when students are stuck in the ‘incompetence’ stages of learning. Frustration can lead them to avoid the subject altogether; or worse still, they start to believe they are not smart enough and develop a dislike (or even anxiety) towards that subject. We know, however, if students are able to through this ‘frustration’ phase they will grow in confidence and self belief.

4. Sharpen Your Examination Techniques

It might sound obvious, but you don’t get good at driving a car by taking the theory test (using my car analogy, again). You have to physically get in the car and start to drive. Likewise, you don’t get good at exams just by learning the content tested in the exams.

Mastering examinations is a skill all of its own, much like essay writing and giving oral presentations. Yet, surprisingly, I have found many students fail to practice the techniques required to do well.

Mastering examinations is a skill all of its own, much like essay writing and giving oral presentations. Yet, surprisingly, I have found many students fail to practice the techniques required to do well.



These techniques do depend on the individual’s level of education but typical questioning generally progresses from description to explanation to discussion. At GCSE level, you are focusing much more on the former.

The typical prefix to questions will be:

• Describe


• Explain


• Suggest

These are usually combined with the open-ended questions: what, where, when, why and how. At this level, the examiner is typically looking for keywords.

At higher levels, the questions start to incorporate discussions. These require more thought and structure, typically combined with your own research, opinions and case studies.

Exam technique requires an article of its own. Nevertheless, one useful tip is to always put yourself into the mind of the examiner when answering questions; and when practicing, always have the mark scheme to see exactly what keywords the examiner is looking for.

 5. Practice Exams

In his TED Talk “What do top students do differently?”, Douglas Barton of Elevate Education discussed how top students don’t necessarily get the top grades because they have the highest IQ’s or even because they work the hardest (although there is usually some correlation with the latter). It was because they do more practice exams.

Their study, based on a 13-year process looking into the learning habits of tens of thousands of students, found that they could almost perfectly estimate a student’s results based upon the number of practice exam papers they had done.

I cannot disagree with this. Here are a few of the many benefits associated with practicing exams:

• Recognisable patterns will begin to form in the questioning and content


• Applying knowledge to different types of questioning will become easier.


• Using additional resources supplied with the exam will become more familiar.


• The structure of the exam will make more sense.


• You will become faster and less prone to silly mistakes

Ultimately you will sharpen the techniques I discussed in the section above and become more aware of what the examiner (or mark scheme) is looking for.

One of the most common problems I see is when a student is knowledgeable in the subject area but cannot connect that with answering a question. This is simply a symptom of lack of practice.

Strategic studying techniques may help students achieve a higher score in the examination. The students define strategic studying as the knowledge and application of effective study skills or techniques. There are many efficient study techniques that could be used by students based on the learning environment. These study strategies include Know-Want-Learn (K-W-L), Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review (SQ3R), summarizing and note-taking, using graphics, and self-questioning. Extensive course loads and the comprehensive information covered in today's curricula necessitate the use of effective study strategies for academic success. The expectations teachers have for their students and the assumptions they make about their potential have a tangible effect on student achievement. This can be achieved by talking to parents and on the issues raised in a forum like the P.T.A i.e. Parent-Teachers’-Association. Group counselling can also be organized for students on good study habits, academic achievement, positive self-concept and gender equality. School administrators i.e. the head teachers should forward the needs and problems affecting students study habits and academic achievement to government for intervention

REFERENCES:

Christina Mariam Chacko, Syna Soosan Abraham (2017) -Academic Performance, Self Esteem and Happiness among Adolescents in Kerala, The International Journal of Indian Psychology

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Bhattacharjee (1984). An investigation  into the teaching of English in the high schools of East khasi  Hulls District  of Meghalaya. In M. B. Buch (Ed.) Fourth Survey of Research in Education. New Delhi: NCERT, 626.

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Saroja Kumari K.R. (2002) “Bilingual approach to esl: Its positive aspects” Thesis.                   Department of English , University of Calicut,

Samer M. Al-Zoubi - Mohammad A. Bani Younes (2015)- Low Academic     Achievement: Causes and Results - Department of English Language and         Literature, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Ajloun National         University.

Prabha and Gupta, Monica 2000 “Effect of sex, intelligence and socio-economic   status on the achievement of students in computer Education”, Indian Journal of Psychometry and Education, Vol.31

Taj, Haseen, July 1999 “Academic achievement as a function of social class, parent child          interaction, dependency behaviour and school management”,    Psycho Lingua,     vol. 29, No. 2, p 153-158.

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