CAUSES OF HAVING A LOW OR

FAILING GRADES OF THE

STUDENTS OF SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL IN THEIR DIFFERENT
SUBJECT AREAS

A THESIS PROPOSAL
PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF
PEABLANCA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
S.Y. 2016-2017

RESEARCHERS
Loudy B. Manzano
Evelyn N. Malana
Jemarie T. Camarao
Jhomalhyne S. Casauay
Joshua Haydon Ballad
Mark Freddie Arao
Julius R. Darilag
Jaylord T. Acorda

ADVISER
Mrs. Precy L. Cauilan

22
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers wish to extend their profound gratitude to

our Almighty Father for all the blessings, knowledge, and

strength he bestowed for the succession of this study.

Their warm thanks to their dear parents for their unending

support, care, love, and for giving them their needs.

Their heartfelt thanks to their teacher Mrs. Precy L.

Cauilan for her unending support and for sharing her brilliant

ideas and knowledge for this study.

A warm thanks to the respondents who participate and gave

their ideas by answering the questionnaires given to them. And

also to the researchers for their determination, patience and

perseverance in working through just to succeed and find the best

solution in the fulfilment of this study.

22
 DEDICATION
We give our heartfelt thanks to those who

supported, imparted their ideas and knowledge, and who

contributed to the succession of this study. This study

is dedicated to the following:

Our Almighty God

Our Parents

Our Dearest Teacher

The Respondents

Our Friends

Our Schoolmates

To the future researchers who will study a thesis

proposal that is related with ours.

22
 TABLE of CONTENTS

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ------------------------------- 3

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ------------------------------ 7

OBJECTIVES -------------------------------------------- 7

HYPOTHESIS -------------------------------------------- 8

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ----------------------------- 8

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY ------------------- 9

DEFINITION OF TERMS --------------------------------- 10

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

RELATED LITERATURE ---------------------------------- 12

RELATED STUDIES ------------------------------------- 14

SYNTHESIS ------------------------------------------- 16

CHAPTER III: METHODS AND PROCEDURES

RESEARCH DESIGN ------------------------------------- 18

RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY ---------------------------- 18

DATA GATHERING TOOLS -------------------------------- 19

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES --------------------------- 19

STATISTICAL TOOLS ----------------------------------- 20

BIBLIOGRAPHY --------------------------------------------- 21

APPENDIX ------------------------------------------------- 25

22
 CHAPTER I

I. INTRODUCTION

A. BACKGROUND of the STUDY

Learning is essential. It starts in our homes, through our

parents who serve as our first teachers and mentors who guide and

mold us to become educated. In school, learning is a continuous

process wherein every student has the role to study and learn. He

or she must strive to gain high grades in order to achieve

his/her dreams and goals in life.

Teenagers of the 21st Century Generation are far from those

teenagers of the 1980s and 1990s. Todays generation, the

advancement of technology made the teenagers to be dependent on

it. Teenagers go to school with their different gadgets like cell

phones, iPad, laptops, tablets, etc. Rampage of different social

media made the life of different teenagers or students topple

especially on their grades. It is one of the factors that made

the students to get a failing grade.

Having a failing or low grade has something to do with the

problems of the students. Today, some of the students are

physically present in school but mentally absent which affects

their performances. Some, also, lack on their attendances but

have the urge to learn which also affects their grades. In some

cases, the people in their environment can also affect them.

Students let their problems overpower themselves instead of

overcoming it. Problems make the students confidence decrease.

22
Teenagers who have problems in life are sometimes selfish. They

are selfish in sharing their problems to other people for they do

not want anyone to worry about them. They can be reckless in

choosing the right decision, but this is just a part of being a

student. Thats why there are teachers who can help those

students to stand and be sturdy from the quicksand that swallowed

them before.

In order for the students who have a failing grade to excel,

there are several things to be considered. One is to guide and

counsel them about their values and performances in their

different subject areas which are the roles of the teachers. This

step is one of the best ways for the students to balance their

emotions. Their peers can also help them boost their self-esteem

and confidence in cooperating on their different activities in

school which will make them feel that they belong to the group.

The first step for them to be a responsible one, is

inside their home, where their parents give them the enough

attention and pieces of advice for them to be inspired enough to

study well and go to school. The second place is their school,

where their teachers and peers are the ones who will guide, teach

and respect them on whatever choices theyll choose. Students

stay at school for eight hours everyday which is one of the

reasons why the teachers are more responsible in guiding them.

We are one of those students who stay in school for eight

hours. In our school, there are also some of our schoolmates who

22
experienced having a failing grade. We, as their peers and

schoolmate want to help them in their studies.

Enhancing their skills and talents can help them in

improving their performances. Different activities in school will

help the students to boost their social aspect. Conducting

symposiums and orientations about their attitudes and personality

can also be a better option. For example, conducting symposiums

concerning about Bullying can help the bullied students and those

bullies to change and avoid such negative attitude. We all know

that BULLYING is one of the reasons why some of the students are

avoiding participating in the different activities in school. The

different programs can help not only those students who have a

failing grade but all of the students and teachers in school.

Our study aims to know the several causes or reasons of the

students who have failing or low grades and to help them overcome

with whatever problems they have. This study will help the

student to obtrude their hidden skills and talents. It will also

help them to outshine with their grades and performances. The

results of this study will provide data or facts into the

formulation of the performances of students especially those who

have a low or failing grade.

Education is a big opportunity for every youth, that is why

if they would gain high grades in every subject, this is already

an achievement. In some instances students were already contented

with passing grade this would go with a 75 average in the

22
different subjects, as the time goes by this passing grade would

become a failing grade.

What would be the reason of the students to let his or her

grades fail? What can we do in order to reduce the number of

students that have a failing grade? What possible action can the

teachers do in order to help the students? What programs will

they implement to help the students? Is it possible to change

those students, through the different programs which the school

conducted, regarding on their academic performances? These are

the several possible questions to ask that serve as the guide for

us, researchers.

We, the researchers of Peablanca National High School will

actively participate in order to answer the questions stated. In

fact, we observed in our school, that there are a lot of students

who have a failing grade. This is the reason why we conducted

this research to identify the causes and to help them cope up

with it. The result of this study, will benefit not only the

students but also the parents, teachers and the school in helping

every youth to be able to learn and giving them a big opportunity

to be successful in the near future.

B. STATEMENT of the PROBLEM

This study aimed to identify the causes of having low or

failing grades in the different subject areas of the SENIOR HIGH

22
SCHOOL STUDENTS in PEABLANCA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL for the school

year 2016-2017.

Specifically, our study answered the following sub-problems:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Age

b. Gender

c. Ethnicity

d. Parents Educational Attainment

e. Parents Occupation

2. What causes the students in getting a low or failing grade?

3. Are there some students who felt contented on their failing

grade?
4. What is the significant relationship between the factors

affecting the performances of the students and their profile

variables?
5. What steps can you propose in order to help the students to

cope up in their performances?

C. OBJECTIVES
There are lot of factors that can affect the performances of

the students. Due to their personal problems, family problems,

the influence of their peers and lack of confidence and self-

esteem make their grades fail. Therefore, this study aims to

identify the different causes and factors in order for them to be

aware of what will be the steps theyll assess to avoid and

prevent getting a low or failing grade.

D. HYPOTHESIS
This study was guided by the null hypothesis that:

22
There is no significant relationship between the students low or

failing grade and their profile variable.

E. SIGNIFICANCE of the STUDY

Identifying the reasons of the students who often get a

failing grade can be beneficial to the people in the entire

campus of Peablanca National High School and the parents of the

students.

Students. They will know how to balance their emotions in dealing

with their problems. They will be challenged to excel in their

performances as well as how they interact with their peers and

how they cooperate in the different activities or task given to

them.

Teachers. Their relationship with their students, will become

stronger as they help each other in maintaining the good

performances of the students. They would understand their

students, why they are getting a failing grade. The result of

this study, will help them to know what strategy they would apply

to help their students.

Parents. They will pay enough attention on their children for

them to guide and help their children on whatever challenges

theyll encounter. They will be aware on the performances of

their children in school. They will help their children and will

serve as their torch in choosing the right decisions.

Researchers. The researchers would be greatly benefited as they

acquire new knowledge and insights in solving the different

22
problems and conducting different programs to help their fellow

schoolmates for a better and wonderful relationship of each.

Future Researchers. This study will serve as their guide or basis

in conducting and supplementing more researches not only in

Peablanca National High School but also in other schools may it

be public or private.

F. SCOPE and DELIMITATION of the STUDY

This study was focused on the causes of having low or

failing grades in the different subject areas of the Senior High

School students. The selected respondents were the students of

Senior High School in Peablanca National High School. It will be

conducted this second semester for school year 2016-2017.

G. DEFINITION of TERMS
These terms will help the readers for a better understanding

of the study.

Boost It means to increase or to raise

Bullying It refers to an action that can harm other people
Confidence From Merriam Webster, it refers to a feeling or

belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

Counsel In this study, it refers to an action of giving pieces

of advice to the students

Enhance It means to improve
Excel From Merriam Webster, it means, to be better or to do

better
Formulation In this study, it refers to the steps to formulate

the performances of the students

Gadgets In this study, it refers to an electronic devices used

by students nowadays
Implement From Merriam Webster, it means begin to do or to make

plans

22
Learning In this study, it refers to the process of gaining

knowledge
Obtrude In this study, it refers to an action of letting the

students to shine their hidden talents and skills

Orientation From Merriam Webster, it refers to the process of

giving information to people

Outshine- From Merriam Webster, it means to do better for

something or to outdo
Overpower In this study, it refers to an act of letting the

problems of the students defeat them

22
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the various insights, reading,

literature, and studies related to this study which serves as the

basis that deals with the causes of having low or failing grade

of the students in their different subject areas.

RELATED LITERATURE

In technical note, the term grade is used as a position in

a scale of ranks or qualities. In the academic grading of the

Philippines it has a different grading system in the primary,

secondary, and tertiary level. In the primary school, the

students should get a 75 and above total averages in order to

pass, the same is through with the high school and the senior

high school grading system, they need also to get a 75 and above

grades for them to pass, in the tertiary level most particularly

in those establish by the government, follow the grade point

system scale of 5.00 to 1.00, in which 1.00 is the highest

possible grade and 5.00 is the lowest possible grade. GWA, or

general weighted average is a representation of the overall

scholastic standing of students used for evaluation.

In the article that Ive read, entitled Grades are just

letters. It says that grades does not determine your ability to

learn, it does not show how good your intellect is. It means

that, you study to learn, not just to pass. But, in some reasons

there is also an importance of getting high grades in the

22
different subjects. Grades is important in order for a student to

pass, it is a tool for a examinee to pass a certain exam, this

will serves as a passcode for them to graduate. Therefore,

students need also to pay attention on how they would get a high

grade.

Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international

community. In the year 2012-2013, the education system of the

Philippines was enhanced from the ten years of basic education to

a 12-year program through an initiative called K-12 Education

Plan sponsored by the Department of Education. Supported by the

Republic Act No. 10533. The implementation of K-12 plan in the

Philippine Basic Education Curriculum is the key to our nations

development. With K-12 education, students will have sufficient

instructional time for subject-related tasks, making them more

prepared in every subject area. Students in Senior High School

should complete all their requirements in order for them to

graduate.

In the series of papers released by the Center on Education

Policy (CEP) at the George Washington University, many students

are perceived as unmotivated. Too often, strategies that adults

use to boost student achievement such as raising academic

standards and giving high-stakes standardized exams do not

address the real reasons why students are disengaged. Lack of

motivation is a real and pressing problem. Upwards 40% of high

22
school students are chronically disengaged from school, according

to a 2003 National Research Council Report on Motivation.

Students who are bored, inattentive or who put little effort

to schoolwork are unlikely to benefit from better standards,

curriculum, and instruction unless schools, teachers, and parents

take steps to address their lack of motivation, the CEP papers

conclude. On the other hand, students who are motivated to learn

have higher achievement, show better understanding of the

concepts they are taught, and are more satisfied with school,

according to a variety of studies reviewed by Edward Deci and

colleagues. School programs can be one of the motivations of

students. For example, school programs that reward students with

money, prizes, or privileges for academic accomplishments or

effort are more effective if they reward students for mastering a

certain skill, such as reading a book or solving a problem. They

are less successful motivators if they reward students for

reaching a certain level of performance, such as achieving a

passing score or grade, according to research by Roland fryer.

RELATED STUDIES

There are a number of possible reasons that students get

poor grades. Some are external factors, such as the subject

matter is too difficult, the teacher is hard to understand, and

problems at home. Other reasons are student attitude such as

didnt do homework and goofed off in class. There are also

22
reasons related to personal issues, such as text anxiety and

problems concentrating (Ron Kurtus, 2012).

In the study, many reasons students provided for failing

courses were grouped into seven main categories, including

motivation (35%), study habits (17%), academic preparedness

(12%), external factors (11%), attitudes (11%), and instruction

(10%), and relevancy issues (4%). Motivation and study habits

were mentioned most frequently as the root cause of student

failure at the college level. These two factors, as well as

academic readiness and student attitudes (which were mentioned

third and the fourth most frequently) are fundamentally under the

control of the students. The instruction, instructional materials

and instructors, over which the faculty, educators, and college

administrators have power, were a distant sixth. This means that

students are aware that the reason why they fail courses most

often resides within them and are under their own power and

responsibility (Cherif, Movahedzadeh, Adams, and Dunning 2013).

A 2014 study of 20,026 Swedish students attending grades

7,9, and upper secondary school (2nd year), demonstrated via

multivariate binary logistic regression analysis that self-

reported short sleep duration increased the risk to fail one or

more subjects during the school year, with the highest odds for

adolescents sleeping less than 7-8 hours on both school and

weekend nights. Students reporting sleep disturbances had an

approximately two fold higher relative risk to fail at least one

22
subject during the school year. Scientist have consistently found

a constellation of sleep factors earlier bedtimes, more total

sleep, and later rise times associated with superior academic

performance and higher grades. Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom of the

University of Minnesota surveyed more than 7,000 high schoolers

in Minnesota about their sleep habits and grades. Teens who

received As averaged about fifteen more minutes sleep than B

students, who in turn averaged eleven more minutes than the Cs

and the Cs had ten more minutes than the Ds. Whalstroms data

was an almost perfect replication of results from an earlier

study of more than 3,000 Rhode Island high schoolers by Browns

Mary Carskadon.

Delayed sleep schedules and early school start times are

associated with daytime sleepiness, dozing in class, attention

difficulties, and power academic performance. A 2005 study

published in Pediatrics, the official Journal of the American

Academy of Pediatrics, concluded, School schedules are forcing

adolescents to lose sleep and to perform academically when they

are at their worst.

SYNTHESIS

The researchers believe that studies stated in this research

are similar with the present study. The previous studies and the

present are all focused on the causes of the high school students

who are getting a low or failing grades.

22
 The only difference is that, the past studies were in

Academy and Associations while the present study was conducted in

a public school, the Peablanca National High School.

22
 Chapter III

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

This chapter discusses the methods and procedures used in the

study. Particularly the research design used, the respondents of the

study, the gathering tool, the data gathering procedure and the

statistical tools used in the analysis and interpretation of data.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design used in this study was the descriptive-

correlational design. The descriptive method was to know the different

insights of the respondents regarding the causes of having a low or

failing of the students. This further explains the relationship of the

profile variables of the respondents and the causes of having a low or

failing grade in their different subject areas.

RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY

The respondents were taken from the Senior High School Students

of Peablanca National High School for the school year 2016-2017. A

total of 50 students were taken from the 5 Classes using subjective

sampling.

Table 1

Distribution of Respondents as to Class

CLASS FEMALE MALE TOTAL

1 5 5 10
2 5 5 10

22
 4 5 5 10
5 5 5 10
6 5 5 10
TOTAL 50

DATA GATHERING TOOLS

The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire for

collecting and gathering of information about the respondents answer

on the causes of having low or failing grades of the students.

The questionnaire were made and used by the researchers as an

instrument in collecting data.

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES

After the presentation of the research proposal, the researchers

sought the approval of the Class 3 Adviser, Maam Precy L. Cauilan of

Peablanca National High School to conduct the said study. After it

was approved, the researchers floated the questionnaires to the

respondents of the study.

The researchers let the respondents to be aware of what will be

their responds on the questionnaire given to them. The questionnaires

will be retrieved personally by the researchers.

STATISTICAL TOOLS

The researchers made use of inferential and descriptive

22
statistics in analyzing and interpreting the data gathered in the

study.

To interpret the causes of having low or failing grades in the

different subject areas of the Senior High School Students, the

researchers used the frequency and percentage distribution.

The test used in computing the percentage of the students who

answered the different scales in the questionnaire given to them, is

Z-test. It is also used to measure the relationship of the

respondents profile and the causes of having a low or failing grade

of the students.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

22
 Needham, Belinda L.,Crosnoe, Robert and Muller,

Charda.Academic Failure in Secondary School: The

Interrelated Role of Health Problems and Educational

Context.National Center for Biotechnology

Infromation,U.S.National Library of Medicine.Web.2010

March 09.
Cherif,Abour H.,Adams,Gerald E., Movahedzadeh, Farahnaz,

Martyn, Margaret A., and Dunning, Jeremy.Why Do Students

Fail? Facultys Perspective.Web.Copyright@2017-Higher

Learning Commission.
Grading Systems- SCHOOL, HIGHER EDUCATION. Education.

Retrieved from stateuniversity.com/pages/2017/Grading-

Systems.html
Why Does the Philippines Need K-12 Education System?.

(2015). Retrieved from http://soapboxie.com/social-

issues/The-Implementation-o-the-k-12-Program-in-the-

Philippine-Basic-Education-Curriculum
Crotty, James M. (2013 Mar 13). Motivation Matters: 40%

Of High School Students Chronically Disengaged From

School. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2013/03/1

3/motivation-matters-40-of-high-school-students-

chronically-disengaged-from-school/#5ed2e72751b9
Kurtus, Ron. (2012 Jul 7). Reasons Students Get Poor

Grades. Retrieved from http://www.school-for-

champions.com/grades/reasons_students_get_poor_grades.htm
Xia, Nailing, and Kirby, Sheila N. (2009). Retaining

Students in Grade: A Literature Review of the Effects of

Retention on Students Academic and Non-academic

22
 Outcomes. Retrieved from

http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR678.html
Austin, Wesley and Totaro, Michael W. High School

Students academic Performance and Internet Usage. The

DreamCatchers Group, LLC. Web. 01 Jan 2011.

The Impact of School Start Times on Adolescent Health and

Academic Performance. Retrieved from

https://schoolstarttime.org/early-school-start-

times/academic-performance/

22
 APPENDIX

STUDENTS PROFILE
DIRECTION: Kindly fill in the blank with the real information needed below.
NAME:
___________________________________________
AGE: ________
GENDER: ____________
PARENTS OCCUPATION:
FATHER: ____________________________________
MOTHER: ___________________________________
ETHNICITY: _______________________________________
PARENTS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: (Put a CHECK MARK on the box.)
FATHER:
ELEMENTARY GRADUATE
HIGHSCHOOL GRADUATE
HIGHSCHOOL UNDERGRADUATE
COLLEGE GRADUATE
COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE
MOTHER:
ELEMENTARY GRADUATE
HIGHSCHOOL GRADUATE
HIGHSCHOOL UNDERGRADUATE
COLLEGE GRADUATE
COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATE

THANK YOU!

22
 QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: _____________________

Grade and Class: ________________

Date: _________________________

Directions: Answer the following question. Put a check mark on the item that corresponds on your own
point of view or experience.

SOMETIMES ALWAYS NEVER

QUESTIONS

A. PROBLEM

1. Do your problems at home affects

your performance in class?

2. Is financial problem a hindrance

for you to get a passing grade?

3. Is peer problem one of the reason

why some students have a low or
failing grade?

4. Are you in a relationship?

5. Does having a fight with your

partner affects your performance
and grade?

B. ABSENTEESM

1. Does having a poor attendance in

class caused you to have a low or
failing grade?

2. Does escaping make you fail in

your subjects?

3. Are you only entering your class

when it is your favourite teacher
or subject?

22
4. Do you find difficulties in
following your schedules in your
class that affect your
performance?

5. Are your peers influence you in

escaping or getting absent in
your class?

C. TARDINESS

1. Is there a particular subject that

you feel bored?

2. When you are lack of sleep, do

you feel like you cant focus on
class?

3. Does someone motivate you to

enter your class?

4. Is lack of motivation one of the

reasons of your tardiness?

5. Is tardiness one of the factors

that affect your performance and
grades?

D. USE OF TECHNOLOGY

1. Do you have a social media

account?

2. Are you depending on the

internet in doing your
assignments and activities?

3. Does playing online games affect

your time in sleeping and your
mood in attending your class?

4. Are you spending more time in

social media than doing your
home works and requirements in
school?

22
5. Are you using your gadgets
secretly during your class?

22