ASSESSMENT ON THE FACTORS HINDERING THE SUCCESS OF STUDENT’S

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 9-TOPAZ

AT WENCESLAO TRINIDAD NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Researchers:

ARRAH B. MASANGKAYTeacher I, English

RICSON B. BOTABARATeacher I, Mathematics

ROBELYN T. AQUINOTeacher I, English

FLORENTINA V. MALABANANMaster Teacher II, Science

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted necessarily to determine which of the identified factors really

hinders the success in the student’s academic performance of grade 9-topaz students

of Wenceslao Trinidad National High School. This study used descriptive method of

research and applies questionnaire-checklist for the collection of the data needed

necessary for the statistical computation to interpret and analyze its findings. The study

proved that student related- factor which comprises intelligence, study habits and

motivation has greater effects in hindering the success of student’s academic

performance than teacher-related factors such as personality traits of the teachers and

teaching skills. The respondents of this study are 50 grade 9-topaz students of

Wenceslao Trinidad National High School which consist of both males and females

enrolled this school year 2016-2017.The result of the study may be necessary to

determine which of the identified factors has really a greater impact in hindering the

success of student’s academic performance and find relevant course of action for the

improvement of the current status of student’s academic performance.

Keywords: Academic Performance, Motivation, Intelligence, Study habits,

Personality Traits, Teaching Skills

INTRODUCTION

Provision of quality education is a priority that every country will aspire to include

amongst the national goals of education. Education is a very important human activity. It

helps any society fashion and model individuals to function well in their environment.

According to Boit, Njoki and Chang’ach (2012), the purpose of education is to equip the

citizenry to reshape their society and eliminate inequality. As also cited by Mhlauli et.al,

education is regarded as a promoter of human development and seen by many to be in

the centre of any society’s life and concern. It is a social artifact embodying aspirations

about the welfare and development of the society it deems to serve.

. The core business of schools is teaching and learning in order give students’ quality

education. As an affirmation on the above, it is stated that; “one of the indicators of

quality education being provided is cognitive achievement of learners” (Kimani et al.,

2013, p.2). It has been said previously that school leaders, teachers and parents have a

critical role in providing quality education for students. But it can be argued that for

quality education to prevail all education stakeholders should take part in the translation,

interpretation and implementation of policies regarding achievement of high standards

of education, including students. Much is said about how to help students achieve their

academic performance and little is mentioned about how the students themselves have

impact on their own achievements. It should be noted that whatever effort that teachers

exert to enhance students learning, the honours lay with the students. ; Hence the

proverb ‘you can lead a horse to the river but you cannot force it to drink.’ However,

there is evidence from research which shows that students can play a critical role in

improving academic performance (Nicholas & Sutton, 2013; Tella, 2007).

As a result, it is regarded students are the most important asset of a school. Ali, et.al

(2009) noted that the success of a certain country is always associated with the

student’s academic performance, because quality graduates who will be soon great

leaders and manpower that will contribute to the economic development of the country

are probably come from students with good academic performance. Basically, to

improve the student’s performance it is necessary that they should have positive

learning behaviour.

On the other hand, teachers for years have been regarded as the essential catalysts for

school improvement and school improvement. They are the driving force and main

resource in the development and academic growth of students as they are sources of

knowledge and agents of change (Wallace, 2011). Teacher effectiveness has been the

interest of policy makers, educators and parents. The effectiveness is measured by

students’ academic performance in both internal and external examination. It is a

general feeling that students who fail the examinations are taught by ineffective

teachers; on the other hand those who excel are taught by the very effective teachers.

Research so far has shown that a teacher’s effectiveness has an influence on the

students’ academic attainment (Afe, 2001). Logically it is so because teachers are the

facilitators in the teaching and learning process. They interpret the subject matter and

put theory into practice during their interaction with the students. The teacher is

“increasingly becoming the focus of interest because of the key role that he or she plays

in the delivery of quality education to the learner” (Taal, 1996, p.16). This seems to

suggest that teachers are agents of change and as such are critical in the students’

academic performance

That is why it is the ultimate goal of a teacher to contribute much on the improvement of

the positive learning behaviour of the students. We, teachers should not be go away

from this goal so that we can be effective in performing our role which is to mould

productive and quality graduates which are said to be a performing one.

So, we should be more appreciative of how the students do their role to excel

academically and give attention to the weaknesses of the students so that we can help

them uplift themselves to perform well in school.

Teaching-learning process will not be successful without a student and teacher who

work together. It is often said that teacher-related factor has a great impact on the

success of academic performance of the students and thus, setting aside student-

related factor. On the other hand student’s performance is not only influenced by

teachers-related factors but also depends on the student’s behaviour and

characteristics.

In this regard, the researchers come up with this study to determine which factor really

affects the success of student’s academic performance.

This study aimed to assess factors hindering the success of student’s academic

performance of grade 9 at Wenceslao Trinidad National High School.

The result of the study may be necessary to determine which of the two identified

factors has really a greater impact hindering the success of student’s academic

performance and find relevant course of action for the improvement of the current status

of student’s academic performance.

Review of Related Review

This chapter enumerated some related literature and studies that we, researchers find it

relevant to the study.

Education is a crucial factor in the growth and development of one’s country. It plays a

vital role in the development of human capital and is linked with an individual’s well-

being and opportunities for better living (Battle and Lewis, 2002). It ensures the

acquisition of knowledge and skills that enable individuals to increase their productivity

and improve their quality of life. This increase in productivity also leads towards new

sources of earning which enhances the economic growth of a country (Saxton, 2000).

Economy growth depends always on the kind of education every citizen gains. This task

lies in the nation’s educational system, which tries its best to provide the education

needed by the majority of citizens. The quality of students’ performance remains at top

priority for educator, trainers, and researchers who have long been interested in

exploring variables contributing effectively for quality of performance of learners. These

variables are inside and outside school that affect students’ quality of academic

achievement. These factors may be termed as student factors, family factors, school

factors and teacher factors (Crosnoe et al, 2004).

As cited in Blog, there are some reasons for poor performance that are specific or

related to the students and not related to external factors. For example, bullying. The

evolution of technology and social media communication has, in some countries if not

most, made it easier than ever for young people to be exposed to environments that can

make bullying unbearable and even more threatening than ever before. Self motivation,

learning disability is student- centered and may create an obstacle to reaching certain

academic standards. Motivation also can play a factor in poor performance. A student

may be fully capable of earning high grades but might simply not care enough about

education to exert the effort. Issues of motivation could be placed upon the parents or

even the school, but sometimes a child simply does not enjoy learning.

On the other hand, teachers play a significant role in student performance and also can

be responsible for poor student performance. For example, if a teacher lacks

experience or is dispassionate about teaching, the children might not be able to develop

comprehensive understandings of the subject material. Furthermore, if the teacher

suffers from a classroom management problem, such as extreme authoritarianism, the

classroom environment might hinder fruitful class discussions and collaborative

learning. It also can deter students from applying themselves to the best of their

abilities.

Some various studies found out that student’s academic performance is affected by

several factors. Newman-Ford, Lloyd & Thomas, (2009) explain that the major reasons

of student’s non-attendance in school are exam pressures, low coping ability of lectures

and some work commitments due to financial constraints. The personal characteristics

of the students such as study habits, motivation, intelligence, and prior learning are

limiting factors that contribute to the success in their academic performance. In addition,

student performance is naturally considered a critical aspect for many educators.

Performance of students in any academic task has always been of special interest to

the government, educators, parents and society at large. It has been proven that

teachers have an important influence on students’ academic achievement (Andaya,

2014).Furthermore, students’ academic accomplishments and activities, perceptions of

their coping strategies and positive attributions, and background characteristics (i.e.,

family income, parents’ level of education, guidance from parents and number of

negative situations in the home) were indirectly related to their composite scores,

through academic achievement in high school. The students face a lot of problems in

developing positive study attitudes and study habits (Noble, 2006)

Wirth & Perkins (2013) indicated that “teacher’s attitude contributed significantly to

student attention in classrooms” .This therefore indicates that student’s behaviour inside

the classroom is somehow affected by how their teachers deal with them. Teacher’s

personality can somehow be a motivation if shown positively.

Guidance is one of the factors through which a student can improve his study attitudes

and study habits and is directly proportional to academic achievement. The students

who are properly guided by their parents have performed well in the exams. The

guidance from the teacher also affects the student performance. The guidance from the

parents and the teachers indirectly affect the performance of the students (Hussain,

2006).

Olaleye (2011) asserts that student’s performance is highly influenced by teacher’s

characteristics. For this instance, it is believed that teachers should be a role model

inside the classroom because most of the time their students look at them.

On the other hand student’s performance is not only influenced by teachers-related

factors but also depends on the student’s behaviour and characteristics..

Research Questions

The researcher aims to identify the factors that affect the academic performance of

selected grade 9 students of Wenceslao Trinidad National High School. Basically, it

should obtain answers for the following questions:

1.) What are factors that affect success in academic performance grade 9-Topaz

students of Wenceslao Trinidad National High School?

2.) Which of the two factors given has the greater effect in the success of academic

performance of grade 9-Topaz students of Wenceslao Trinidad National High School?

A. Student-related factors

-motivation

-intelligence

-study habits

B. Teacher-related factors

-personality traits

- teaching skills

METHODOLOGY/DESIGN

The respondents of this study are 50 grade 9-topaz students of Wenceslao Trinidad

National High School enrolled this current school year which consist of both males and

females. This study uses descriptive method of research and applies questionnaire-

checklist for the collection of the data needed.

The questionnaire-checklist made from the adapted instrument of another study will be

distributed to grade 9-topaz students of Wenceslao Trinidad National High School. They

will be requested to fill out checklist indicated in the questionnaire given and assured

them that whatever information reflected in the questionnaire will not be divulged to

anyone.

After the questionnaire-checklist has been retrieved the all the data gathered will be

collected and summarized to attain statistical computation for the interpretation of the

results as necessary in the formulation of its findings.

RESULTS

Present study was conducted to assess the factors hindering the success of student’s

academic performance of grade-9 topaz at Wenceslao Trinidad National High School.

Table I: Survey Results

Positive

Response

s

% Negative

Responses

%

I. Student-Related Factors 32.93

A. Intelligence

1 Are you having any difficulty in

every subject?

45 90% 5 10%

2 Can you easily cope up with the

day’s lesson?

23 46% 27 54%

3 Did you cooperate well in the group

activity and do well in individual

exercises.

44 88% 6 12%

4 Did you participate in the class

discussion?

41 82% 9 18%

5 Can you maintain good grades on

tests, quizzes, assignments and

projects?

18 36% 32 64%

T (Ave) 34.2 68.4% 15.8 31.6%

B. Study habits

1 Did you study your lessons

regularly?

36 72% 14 28%

2 Did you always prepare

assignments?

23 46% 27 54%

3. Did you spend your vacant time

doing group works and exercises?

21 42% 29 59%

4. Did you study harder to improve

my performance when I get low

grades?

34 68% 16 32%

5. Can you spend less time with my

friends during school days and

concentrate more in my studies?

29 58% 21 42%

T (Ave) 28.6 57.20% 21.4 42.8%

C. Motivation

1. Did your parents are

supporting you in your

studies?

43 86% 7 14%

2. Can you seek help from them

in doing school work?

20 40% 30 60%

3. Did you receive any

encouragement to continue

your studies from any member

of your family?

44 88% 6 12%

4. Did your parents give you enough 25 50% 25 50%

time to study your lesson at home?

5. Did you parents/guardian give you

enough financial support that can

suffice your needs in school?

48 96% 2 4%

T (Ave) 36 72% 14 28%

II. Teacher-Related Factors 43.9

A. Personality-Traits

1. Has your teacher provide a

friendly-environment during

teaching-learning process?

40 80% 10 20%

2. Is he/she generous in giving

praises, open for suggestions

and opinions?

49 98% 1 2%

3. Is he/she has a sense of

humor, with good physical

appearance?

49 98% 1 2%

4. Is your teacher imposes

proper discipline, firm in

making decisions and

judgment

50 100% 0 0%

5. Is he/she shows fairness at all

times?

45 90% 5 10%

T (Ave) 46.6 93.20% 3.4 6.8%

B. Teaching skills

1. Is he/she shows fairness at all

times?

41 82% 9 18%

2. Is your teacher provides concrete

example about the topic and explains

well when confusions arises about the

lesson?

42 84% 8 16%

3. Is he/she using varied strategies in

teaching the lesson?

39 78% 11 22%

4. Did your teacher employ easy but

accurate assessment tool.

42 84% 8 16%

5. Is he /she updated with present

trends that is relevant in presenting

the lessons.

42 84% 8 16%

T (Ave) 41.2 82.40% 8.8 17.6 %

DISCUSSION

After the findings have been analyzed, it obtained answers to the following questions:

1.) What are factors that affect success in academic performance grade 9-Topaz

students of Wenceslao Trinidad National High School?

Student-related factors

Teacher-related factors

2.) Which of the two factors given has the greater effect in hindering the success of

academic performance of grade 9-Topaz students of Wenceslao Trinidad National High

School?

A. Student-related factors- has a greater effect in hindering the success of student’s

academic performance of grade 9-topaz students at Wenceslao Trinidad because it only

obtained 32.93(65.86%) average positive responses as perceived by the respondents

on how well the students perform in school to succeed in their academic performance.

Motivation- got 36 (72%) average positive responses

Intelligence-got 34.2(68.4%) average positive responses

study habits-got 28.6 ( 57.20%) average positive responses

B. While teacher-related factors obtained 43.9 (87.80 %) average positive responses

based on how the student’s perceived teacher’s performance on their tasks and

responsibilities.

Personality traits-obtained 46.6(93.20 %) average positive responses.

Teaching skills- obtained 41.2 (82.40%) average positive responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Based from the findings of the study the following conclusions were derived:

1.) That student-related factor such as motivation, intelligence and study habits

really hinders the success of student’s academic performance. Under this study

habits got the lowest average positive response.

2.) That teacher-related factor such teaching skills and personality traits also affect

success in the academic performance of students but not that of student-related

factor. In this matter, personality traits got a higher average response than

teaching skills.

Recommendations

Taken into considerations the conclusions made the following recommendations were

formulated:

1.) As noted that student-related factor really hinders the success in students’

academic performance we believed that teachers should focus on how to

develop positive study habits among students. Encourage them to be more

responsible in doing school works, projects and the like. Be generous in giving

praises, rewards and incentives whenever need arises.

2.) It could be attributed that teacher-related factors also has an effect in the

success of students’ academic especially in teachings however this problem can

be treated in such a way teachers should find more effective ways in teaching.

Moreover, teachers should attend training, seminars and workshops that will help

him be more effective in his field.

3.) It cannot be denied that school administrators can be of help to both teachers

and students so that there would be an improvement on the academic

performance of the students. Basically, the school administrators can design

programs for example (INSET) for teachers should focus more on the

development of teaching skills of teachers.

REFERENCES

Mustaq, Irfan &Khan Shabana, N.(2012). Factors Affecting Student’s Academic

Performance Mohammad Ali Jinnah University Islamad, Pakistan. Global Journal of

Management and Business Research, 12(9): pp 2-4

Kimani, G, Kara, A. & Njagi, L.( 1993). Teachers Factors Influencing Students Academic

in Secondary Schools in Nyandarau Country, Kenya. International Journal of Education

and Research, 1(3):1-5

Higher Life Foundation, February 17, 2016. Factors That Affect Student Performance

Lane G. Lansangan, M., G. Baking, E., T. Quiambao, D., C. Nicdao, R., V. Nuqui, A., C.

Cruz, R.(2015). Correlates of Students’ Academic Performance in Intermediate Level

Journal of Business & Management Studies,1(2). 1-7

Mhlauli, Mavis B. & MolokoMphale, Luke. An Investigation on Student’s Academic

Performace for Junior Secondary in Botswana, University of Botswana, Gaborene,

European Journal of Education Research, 3(3):111-117

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researchers would like to extend their warmest thanks and gratitude to the people

who serve as guides, inspirations and encouragements, thus, who are in way or another

lend a helping hand to make the study a success. This dream will not be realized

without them.

First and foremost, to Almighty God who give us wisdom and strength to do the

research on time as expected of us. He is always guide us and bless us with ample

knowledge.

Secondly, to our dear principal, Mrs. Maria Celita B. De Leon for giving us a piece of

advice and encouragement to become a research writing enthusiasts. And also, to our

department heads, Mrs. Milagros A. Pangilinan (English), Mrs. Melchora N. Gonzales

(Mathematics), Mr. Jimmy P. Peñaflor (Filipino), who also supported us morally in this

field of growing up professionally.

Third, to our friends and colleagues who supported us throughout the journey in

whatever way they could.

Last but definitely not the least, to our family who inspire us most of the time so that we

may able to pursue the study without any hesitation and regret as we have started it

already so we need to do our best to finish it .

To all of you, thank you so much.