Factors that Contribute to Failure Causes of Academically Low Performing Students

Poor academic performance is identified to be a serious concern that needs to be addressed. To address what caused it, this inquiry was directed by determining the following: 1) respondents' birth order, mental ability, personality, study habits, and reasons of low academic performance; 2) significant difference in students' personality types when grouped according to birth order and mental ability, and 3) significant difference in respondents' study habits when grouped according to mental ability. There were 124 purposively chosen low-performing grade 7 students who are considered respondents of this study. This study made use of descriptive research specifically, the quantitative research method. Findings of the study stated that respondents are mostly middle and firstborn, have the below-average mental ability, extroverted, have low study habits, and mostly prefer studying alone. The topmost reason for low academic performance was “I did not study”. The respondents’ personalities also did not significantly differ regardless of birth order and mental ability. And, they did not significantly differ in study habits regardless of mental ability level. Being mostly extroverts and regardless of mental ability level, they did not study at all which highly explains poor academic performance.


A. Introduction
Poor academic performance is identified to be a serious concern that needs to be addressed. Basic to finding the right solution is to identify what caused it (You are Mom, 2021). The causes for poor academic performance can be external or internal. Alami's (2016)

research on Causes of Poor Academic
Performance Among Students found out that student-related factors among other factors have the highest impact on the students' performance.
There has been a growing concern also about how adolescents use their time when not in school and the overall effects of these nonschool experiences on their human development and educational outcomes. Filade, Bello, Uwaoma, Anwanane, & Nwangburuka, (2019) state that peers play a significant role and influence in the academic development of students so much so that if peers invite them to engage in activities such as playing online games and other activities may derail from focus in school and correspondingly may negatively affect academic performance.
Thus, other than the school's intention to fully deliver the academic program is for the teachers to understand the world of the students within the complex environment that they interact with, check on real causes of poor performance, and in like manner appropriately respond to the learning needs of the students.
To find the root of this concern, this research plunged into the studentrelated factors. This could be supported by the concept of Kurt Lewin's (1938) Field Theory that introduces the term ''life space'' where the person and the environment are differentiated. Life space contains the totality of possible facts that are capable of determining and understanding the concrete behavior of an individual human being in a given psychological environment at a given time (Gardner, ET. Al., 2010).
In this study, the personal characteristics item looks at the following: birth order, mental ability, personality, and study habits. The aspect of environmental forces as defined by Lewin is part of any psychological facts that have to be understood from the individual behavior that may affect their low academic performance.
Thus, it is the inclusion of the variable reasons for low academic performance.

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This research inquiry was directed by determining: 1) the characteristics of the respondents considering Birth Order, Mental Ability, Personality, Study Habits considering the amount of time spent in studying and preference on how to study; and Reasons of Low Academic Performance; 2) significant difference in the students' personality types when grouped according to birth order and mental ability, and 3) significant differences in the study habits when grouped according to Mental Ability. and last-born or youngest which is seen to have an impact on academic performance (Gorman, 2014). Alfred Adler's in 1964 states that firstborns have an academic edge over other siblings in the family such that they are first-borns are oftendescribed as high achievers (Gilmore, 2016). The middle born, on the other hand, tend to feel "lost" because they feel neither as high achievers nor favored by the family which at times lead them to feel that they do not belong in the family. They tend to "act out" which means that they tend to demonstrate problematic behaviors. The youngest children are described to be "the most agreeable". Because of that, they could demonstrate rebellious behavior. They want to do something different which may separate them from the older siblings. Birth order is seen also to have an influence or effect on one's personality as a student relates in school given that for example, firstborns described having an academic edge over other siblings in the family in which certain personality traits may have contributed to their academic performance (Hartmann & Goudarzi, 2019). The personality is as presented by the American Psychological Association; there are two broad areas such as understanding of individual differences and how various aspects of a person come together as a whole. For this study, the Myers -Briggs Type Indicator is used as a toolto check on the differences in personality of the respondents. The Myers -Briggs Type Indicator (1998) states that extroverts and introverts differ in preferences in studying their lessons which may contribute to academic performance. Their tendencies as introvert and extravert would expose them to an environment outside of themselves that make them engage in certain activities that may have also contributed to poor academic performance in school (Mallari & Pelayo, 2017).
In the study ofJ. et.al (2016), the findings state that academic achievement was significantly related to their personality type in the preference.
The study habits are also one of the factors considered to have contributed to poor academic performance as this study investigates. Study Habit includes the students' regular and adequate scheduling and their preference on how they study their lessons. The study of Seo (1999), stated that there may be students who have great ability to learn but fails to make it in school's academic performance due to poor study habit. Without study habits, a student's natural ability to learn may fail him in school (Tope, 2011). Study habits for this research consider the amount of time studying each subject and the respondents' preference in studying their lessons.
Adolescents are also exposed to and engage in cliques and do things together -shop for clothes or records, go to movies, concerts, do school projects, and share good times. They share attitudes toward school, drugs, music, clothes, spoken and unspoken norms: private language, a "joke of the week", an agreement about partying. They share the attitude of these friends because they influence each other. Adolescents spend less and less time at home which may sacrifice focus in school and consequently affect and contribute to varied reasons of why students could be performing poorly in academics (Free time and Teenagers, 2019).
Furthermore, the study of Filade, et al. (2019) states that either positive or negative influence that engagement with peers may have. The type of activities that they do together may support and build the self which may impact performance in academics.
From that, educators are more than challenged to widen their scope of inquiry so that aside from being able to understand the context of their learners, they can appropriately respond and provide programs, and prepare a learning environment that is supportive to the context and fitting to the type of "living space" of the individual learner that will eventually maximize the learning of students (Westbrook, Durrani, Brown, Orr, Pryor, Boddy & Salvi, 2013).

Research Design
This study employed descriptive research specifically, the quantitative research method which involves hypothesis formulation and testing, used a logical method of inductive-deductive reasoning to arrive at generalization, employed a method of sampling, and described the variables and procedures so that the study can be replicated.
This method is used for this research as this would basically respond to the objectives/ problems and the hypotheses initially set and formulated for this research to arrive at the findings and conclusion at the end of this research inquiry.

Research Setting and Participants
The School Registrar records show that there was 124 lowperforming grade 7 students. These students had eight subjects/ courses (English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Christian Humanism, Filipino, Music, and Physical Education) from where the general average termed as Quality Point Index (QPI) was taken. These low-performing students came from the semi-honors and the general sections/classes (Section B, Section C, Section D, Section E, Section F, Section G, Section H, Section I, Section J, and Section K) of the Grade 7 level. The sample size was determined through purposive sampling whereby the whole number of low-performing students was included as respondents in the study.
The table below shows the number of low-performing students from each of the sections included in this study.

Instrumentation
This study used the following instruments :

Test Administration and Data Gathering
a. Self Survey Questionnaire: 1) Respondents are told to answer each item/statement honestly and made to understand the confidentiality of the whole process that they are engaging in.
2) The respondents are given 45 minutes to 1 hour in answering the Self-Survey Questionnaire. 3) Instructions and survey directions are presented as follows : There are three parts of the self-survey questionnaire. Part I yielded responses on the name of the respondent and birth order. Part II is on study habits. This is further divided into two parts. Subpart A refers to the estimated amount of time (in minutes) spent studying each subject from Monday to Sunday. There is a table that showed the headings Day for the first column and Subjects for the first row. The respondents were asked to write on the space provided the estimated amount of time (in minutes) that they spent studying each subject every day. Subpart B is on the respondents' Preferences on How to Study. The respondents were asked to check the blank space provided before each item for the top three (3) items that signified their preferences or choices on how they studied their lessons.
Part III is on the respondents' reasons for low academic performance.The respondents were asked to check the blank space provided before each item that stated their top three reasons that they think caused their low academic performance. b. Mental Ability -IQ and Personality Test (MBTI) are secondary data that were taken during the respondents' entrance exam for Grade 7.

Statistical Treatment
To analyze the respondents' profile, descriptive statistical tools consisting of the mean and percentage were utilized.T-test and F-test were also used to compare and test the significant differences in the dependent variables.

C. Result and Discussion 1. Result
a. Table 1 presents the distribution of respondents by birth order.
The table states that the majority (46.77%) belong to the middle born closely followed by firstborn respondents (44.35%). b. Table 2 presents the percentage distribution of respondents by Mental Ability.
The table states that75% of the low-performing students belong to below-average mental ability; 22.77%are average;and, 3.23% are dull normal.  in terms of the amount of time spent studying subjects.

Gilmore (2016) states of Alfred Adler's (1964) concept on birth order
such that first-borns are often described as high achievers. The middle child neithercan at times feels lost and can feel that they do not belong in the family. Thus, they tend to "act out" demonstrating problematic behaviorsto get attention. The youngest children are described to be "the most agreeable". Because of that, they could demonstrate rebellious behavior. They want to do something different which may separate them from the older siblings.
The findings of Bayba (2017) states that middle children have good academic performance. This is being supported by Albarkheel, et. al. (2019) that the middle born has the highest tendency to have higher academic performance.
However, Alfred Adler's description ofthe level of intelligence may not at all explain respondents' academic performance given that they belong to low performing group of students. However, the case of the middleborn's tendency to demonstrate problematic behavior may have contributed to not being able to perform well in academics. The firstborn's JIP-The International Journal of Social Sciences {217 potential to perform well may be caused by other factors that other variables in this study may be able to explain.
Since the majority belong tothe below-average category,means that they perform below the typical student of their age on this test (Otis -Lennon Mental Ability Test Manual for Administration, 1979;Wang & Reva, 2018).
This may further implythat their potential to perform in academics is also below average unless there is an observed effort to strive harder to cope with the demands of their academic life.A study on factors affecting academic achievement (MeenuDev, 2016) reveals that General Mental Ability and academic achievement are significantly and positively correlated which can explain the poor academic performance of the respondents in this study.
The Myers -Briggs Type Indicator describes an ESTJ type (Myers and McCaulley, 1990) that they operate in the outside world, which means that they like to go out and relate with friends. Thus, studying could be an exciting time toconnect with friends preferably in busy and loud venues.
Since this group considers the here and now,they may easily set aside priorities and commitment to achieve future academic goals to cater to fun in the present moment. Without proper guidance and with needs and feelings being ignored, they could go as far as expressing themselves in varied inappropriate manners. They could also tend to be judgmental with incomplete facts (Myers and McCaulley, 1990). Thus, varied concerns can arise if they are not properly attended to and guided by mature adults, particularly in school.
Furthermore, since they are strong with Thinking skills, teachersmay come into this strength by providing activities that may stimulate thinking.
Boredom in class may be experienced by this type of student if this aspect is not being given special attention by the teacher.
The low academic performance of the respondents seems to be due to their being extravert (ESTJ). This was initially started by Soon, J. et. al (2016) findings stating that academic achievement was significantly related to their personality type in the preference. However, in the study of Orcutt. The study of Kyautamet. al., (2017) states that study habits are the most important predictor of academic performance. This explains why the respondents are low performing in academics due to the overall low level in study habits in terms of the amount of time spent in studying the different subjects. Even students that have a natural ability to learn, and yet do not spend time studying their lessons, may pull down academic performance.
The 80.65% who prefer to study alone (first topmost) does not match with the 80.65% extraverts' nature. Studying alone would greatly match with introverts that comprise 19.35%. The extraverts who may perhaps desire to study alone may have to struggle with focusing their minds on studying compared to introverts.Too much silence may greatly affect concentration that's why some of them may be comfortable studying with music or alone but watching TV. Or, the mind may be wondering about a lot of things.Some were forced to study alone because there's nobody to help them. But, perhaps if they are made to choose, they would want somebody to assist them. Parents, on the other hand,may train them to be alone but if these students are extroverts, there will always be that drive to be with friends to study. Again concentration may be difficult. Thus, suffer performance in academics. Kyauta, et. al (2017) describe a good study habit as studying in a quiet place, studying daily, turning off devices that interfere with study (such as TV and mobile phones), taking notes of important content, having regular rests and breaks, listening to soft music, studying based on own learning style, and prioritizing the difficult contents. The study further describes that the worst study habits include the following : procrastination, evading the study, studying in inappropriate conditions, and loud sound of music and television during studying.
Burger (2010)  regarding studying and learning.Findings in the study explain why some students can study only with the stereo and a TV blaring, whereas other students have to find a quiet library room to focus on studying.
The study of Silverrajoo& Hassan (2018) states that students who are not interested or are unwilling to study. The consequence of not studying is low academic performance. The respondents' below-average mental ability may further explain such difficulty which may alsolessen interest in studying their lessons.
Aside from that, their extravert (80.65%) nature would bring them out from focus in the confines of a study room and be with friends. "The extraverts' attention seems to flow out, or to be drawn to the objects and people of the environment". Most of them may feel bored, tired, or sleepy because their tendency is really towards the outside world, unlike the introverts that can sustain the demands of studying. After all,their nature supports it.
Teachers play a big role in facilitating learning in the classroom with special consideration in the context of learners (Korth, 1993). Students learn better with a teacher that allows them to continue to learn effectively and is sensitive to the learning and psychological needs of the students. Having extrovert learners in the classroom, the teacher's initiative, and facilitative skills can mean a lot to the learning of students who are poor performers in academics.
The article Psychology of Underachievement states that it can be a student's choice to underachieve. Furthermore, some signs and symptoms would be poor test results at school, having little motivation with poor study habits; may refuse to do homework, or leaving much work incomplete (Evans, 2018).
The article on "School Performance Problems" also states that there are many reasons for adolescents to underperform in schools such as lack of motivation, problems with peers, poor study skills, emotional and behavioral problems, exposure to stressful situations at home and in school, incompetent teachers, peer influences and many more (Sunil & Kulkarni, 2005).

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The result means that the respondents do not vary much in terms of personality type and extent of preference regardless of whether they are first, middle children, or last born.In this research personality when grouped according to birth order cannot be highlighted since it does not particularly define its contribution to the poor academic performance of the respondents. Thus, the null hypothesis is not rejected.
Since this study does not find a significant difference in personality type when grouped according to birth order, there may be other factors that may have contributed to their low academic performance as stated in the actual amount of time spent in studying their lessons, preferences on how they study their lessons and reasons of low academic performance.
Though birth order is also seen to influence one's personality especially when a student relates in school, and may likewise contribute to academic performance (Hartmann & Goudarzi, 2019 However, the students are not performing according to their natural ability.
Slight preference means that the interpreter would have to consult the respondent to consider whether he or she prefers the reported preference.
The mental ability category confirms the slight preference since they belong to the below-average and dull normal group. With below-average mental ability, they may not prefer thinking at all instead do other activities that may substitute studying which demands thinking or higher-level thinking.
Below Average and Dull normal also help define the respondents' under achievement but they stated reasons for poor performance that pulled them down all the more. Academic problem under achievement could be avoided if the respondents tried harder (Evans, 2018).
The study of Aluja and Blanch (2004) stated that intelligence tests were the most predictive variables of achievement, while personality traits had a low direct contribution to academic achievement. The relationship between personality and achievement seems to be mediated by study habits.
The trend on the table shows that those respondents with higher mental ability spend a higher amount of time studying compared to the below-average and dull normal group. This group could have been on the edge in terms of the higher natural ability possibility to retain, comprehend and analyze facts or information including identification of strengths and weaknesses. However, with the overall result, stating that there is no significant difference in study habits when grouped according to mental ability can mean that the higher level did not significantly contribute to the overall result such that respondents do not differ much in their study habits regardless of whether they belong to average, below average or dull normal mental ability. Aluja and Blanch (2003) quoted the work of Warkins (1994) that study habits have always been associated with academic achievement, independently of scholastic aptitudes.Students with better strategies and better study habits tend to show higher academic performance. Even students with low mental ability but with good study habits may obtain better results than those with high intellectual capacity.

D. Conclusion
The overall context of the respondents states that they are mostly middle born closely followed by firstborn, below-average mental ability, ESTJ type of personality, low level in terms of the amount of time spent in studying their lessons. The majority of them prefer to study alone yet the reason for low academic performance states "I did not study". The respondents' personalities also do not significantly different regardless of birth order and mental ability.
Furthermore, they do not significantly differ in study habits regardless of mental ability level.
The supposed intellectual capacities of the middle born and firstborn do not at all explain respondents' academic performance since they are all low performers in academics. Furthermore, since the majority of thembelong to the below-average category, means they perform below the typical student of their age. This further impliesthat their potential to perform in academics is also below average.
Despite the preference to study alone, the respondents' nature as extraverts contributed much to the variable reasons of low academic performance given that the majority of them do not study at all. It seems that their nature as extraverts would bring them out to connect with friends. Spending more time with friends is a fancy of an extrovert. They are good at this and could have been productive if spent in guided group studies than studying by themselves.
Furthermore, regardless of birth order and mental ability, personality does not significantly differ. These respondents are mostly extroverts and that regardless of mental ability, they do not study at all.
Teachers proved to have a crucial part in the learning process, especially with extravert learners.It calls for great initiative and creativity, designinga curriculum with corresponding activities that may be consistent with their nature. This could also guide teachers in the selection of appropriate teaching and learning strategies that may pave the path towards a better quality of education and learning experiences for this type of learner.
Furthermore, this may lead to future collaborative research among educators so that findings and discussions may lead to intervention that shall be responsive across different grade levels, schools, and culture applications.