CAUSES OF FAILURES OF SOME PUPILS IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN PANIQUI SOUTH DISTRICT, PANIQUI, TARLAC

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A Project Paper
Presented for the Completion of
MAT – English

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LIBERTY G. PINGUL
2012

Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter I: Introduction 1 * Statement of the Problem 2 * Significance of the Study 3 * Scope and Delimitations 4
Chapter II: Locale of the Study 5
Chapter III: Methodology 6 * Respondents of the Study 6 * Research Design 6 * Data Gathering Instrument 6 * Data Gathering Procedure 6 * Statistical Treatment of Data 7
Chapter IV: Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data 9 * Table I – General Weighted Average of Grade Five and Grade Six Pupils in Schools of PSD 9 * Table II – Percentage of Failed Pupils in the Schools of PSD As Grade Level 10 * Table III – Common Causes of Failures to 20 Pupils of Schools in PSD 11 * Table IV – How Causes Bring Failures to Some Pupils of Schools in PSD 12 * Table V – Preventive Measures to Common Causes of some Pupils in Schools of PSD 13

Chapter V: Recommendation 14
Bibliography 17
Appendix: Questionnaire 18

CHAPTER I

Introduction

Failures of pupils is one of the most often reason that affects drop-out rate in 18 public elementary schools in Paniqui South District for four years now. Academic performance is measured by grades which generally leads the list of most highly related causes of drop-out behaviour among pupils. School grade is significant to pupils; it boosts or degrades student’s self-esteem based on its mark. More importantly, grades on one’s report card are actually one of the bases for assessing a student’s performance and work.

Rhanio et. al (2009) concluded in their study that academic failures is often caused by deficit in foundational skills . Any person can learn first the basic skills to have better grade due to his performance. For example unable to develop reading skill may affect academic standing. It implies that a poor reader is a poor learner, and a tendency to fail.

Ayson (2006) specified in his study that TV watching caused failures. Those watching more than three hours a day were likely not to continue their studies. The researcher concluded that the problems linked to TV viewing could be one of the causes of academic failures which controlled the learning difficulties and behavioural problem in an individual.

Meanwhile , Bell (2006) stressed out that as reported of a 20-years study of involving 700 families in New York , it was found out that there is no link of TV watching to academic failures. Experts say, that pupils with learning disorders might be simply more likely to watch many hours for they find activities such as reading more challenging.

According to Needham (2008) alert parents notice the attitude changes in their child. These sub-limits may both the reasons that parents must give more active role in determining the cause and how to solve it. Thus, parents’ awareness caused the quality of their child performances. As mentioned earlier, the drop-out rate among 18 public schools in Paniqui South District is alarmingly increasing and one of its reasons is failure of students in their academic performance. So, guided with the objective to find the common causes of students’ failures, this study was conducted.

Statement of the Problem This project paper attempted to find out the common causes of academic failures to some pupils of the schools in Paniqui South District. It specifically sought to answer the following questions; 1. What is the General Weighted Average of Grade Five and Grade Six Pupils who failed for the school year 2011-2012 in Paniqui South District? 2. In percentage, how many failed pupils are there among the schools in Paniqui South District? 3. What are the common causes of failures of some pupils of the schools in Paniqui South District, in terms of:
a. Study Habits of the Pupils,
b. Teacher-Pupil Interaction, c. Parental Guidance and Support? 4. How do these causes bring failures to the respondents/ pupils in terms of: a. Lack of concentration and motivation, b. Poor reading skills, c. Poor study habits, d. Interference of family problems? 5. How to prevent these common causes of academic failures to some pupils in terms of: a. Developing reading skills, b. Enhancing communication with parents and teachers, c. Improving study habits, d. Implementing time management?

Significance of the Study The study tried to have an in-depth understanding on the common causes of failures of some pupils, this was done to come up with answers to the question why do these causes bring failures and most importantly to find ways how to prevent failures of some pupils of schools in Paniqui South District.
This study will also be beneficial to the pupils and teachers in using appropriate strategies in teaching and learning, and constructing test questions about the level of the knowledge of the pupils. Moreover, this study will be helpful to the parents and school by informing them of their duties and responsibilities to their children. By understanding the needs of their children, parents can further assist and support them in their problems, particularly in academics.

Scope and Delimitations The study identified the common causes of failures of some pupils among the schools of Paniqui South District. The common causes of failures of the pupils were delimited to their study habits, their interaction with their teachers, and their parents’ support and guidance. It further determined how do these causes affect the performance of the pupils and how to prevent those causes in terms of developing students’ reading skills, enhancing communication skills with parents and teachers, improving study habits, and implementing time management. The study’s respondents were the pupils retained in their grade level for the school year 2011-2012 as identified from Form 18-E. There were 20 pupils in all ranging from grade five to grade six.

CHAPTER II

LOCALE OF THE STUDY Among the sixty five (65) public elementary schools in the Division of Tarlac Province , the schools in Paniqui South District is the area which the proponent of this project paper conducted the study. The 18 barangay public elementary schools of Paniqui South District mostly located at the western part of the municipality of Paniqui were utilized in this study. The grade five and grade six classes have a total population of 1440 pupils for the school year 2011-2012.

Paniqui South District ( PSD) aims to produce individuals who are productive citizens of the society and generally of the country geared from its vision “ Every child a reader , Every reader a leader and every leader a productive citizen. PSD Mission is to provide a quality education to every students who are knowledgeable , skilful and value oriented individuals and can be agent of progress and development of the country.

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the method used in the project, data gathering method and statistical treatment.
Respondents of the Study The subjects and respondents of the proponent of this project were the 20 pupils who were officially declared retained in their grade level due to failures to pass the different learning areas. These came from grade five to grade six , most of them are from intermediate class. These were sought , requested to fill checklist for data of the project and a follow-up interview is conducted.
Research Design The study used the descriptive survey design , which is an investigatory approach to gather some information about present condition of the subject. It aimed to find out and describe the common causes of failures of some pupils among the schools in Paniqui South District and to explore the reasons why these occurred and happened.
Data Gathering Instrument The prepared survey questionnaire is designed intended to elicit major information from the respondents the common causes of failures of some pupils of PSD for SY 2011-2012. This is in checklist form and is administered to the respondents with a name withheld system. A follow-up interview was also conducted to clarify certain causes with respondents and to supplement data needed. Other data were gathered from survey.
Data Gathering Procedure There were 20 pupil respondents, were 8 came from grade V and 12 came from grade six. They were given a questionnaire and were asked to answer the questions honestly with yes or no indicated under each factors in the questionnaire. This is to determine the factor that mostly affects their academic performance. All appropriately fulfilled questionnaires were retrieved, prepared, organized, and compiled for analysis of data.
Statistical Treatment of Data The study will use the frequency and percentile methods and statistical measurement in the treatment of the raw data from the questionnaire , interview and checklists.

Percentage Method % - F/ N
Where : %=percentage F = frequency of response N = total sample size

Weighted Mean Arithmetic Wx = Exw - Exw ____ _____ E = w N
Where
Wx = weighted mean W = weight of x Exw = the sum of the weight of x’s Ew = the sum of the weight of x N = the Ew

CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents, analyzes and discusses data gathered by the proponent to uncover light on the common causes to the failures of some pupils of the schools of Paniqui South District for the school year 2011-2012.

TABLE I
General Weighted Average of Grade Five and Grade Six
Pupils in Schools of PSD Respondents | General Weighted Average of Pupils | Total Numberof Students | Grade Five | 74 | 3 | | 73 | 2 | | 72 | 1 | | 71 | 1 | | 70 | 1 | Grade Six | 74 | 5 | | 73 | 3 | | 72 | 2 | | 71 | 1 | | 70 | 1 | | | 20 |

This table shows that as to the GWA of the respondents participated in the survey of this study eight pupils for both grades V & VI got a failed grade of 74%. Five pupils in both grade levels got 73%, while five pupils got 72%. Both pupils in grades V and VI have a WGA of 71 and two pupils got a 70% in their general average. This data showed that majority of the pupils who failed got a 74% in their WGA in their report card.

Table II
Percentage of Failed Pupils in the Schools of PSD
As Grade Level Respondents | Total No.of Pupils | No. of Pupils with Failed Grades | Percentage | Grade V | 684 | 8 | 1.2 % | Grade VI | 756 | 12 | 1.6 % | Total | 1440 | 20 | 1.4 % |

Table II shows that out of 684 Grade V pupils, 8 or 1.2% got failing grades, while 12 or 1.6 % of the 756 Grade VI pupils also failed. Furthermore, a total of 20 or 1.4% of the 1440 total number of pupils from Grade V and VI got failing grade for the school year 2011-2012.

TABLE III
Common Causes of Failures to 20 Pupils of
Schools in Paniqui South District Respondents | Frequency | Percentage | Study Habits | 10 | 50 % | Teacher-Pupil Interaction | 4 | 20% | Parental Guidance and Support | 6 | 30% | TOTAL | 20 | 100% |

Table III shows the common causes of failures of the 20 pupils of Paniqui South District. Study habits earned the highest number of points with a frequency of 10 or 50%. Parental guidance and support and teacher-pupil interaction follow next with a frequency with 6 and 4 respectively. This means that the common cause of students’ failures is poor study habits.

TABLE IV
How Causes Bring Failures to Some Pupils of Schools in
Paniqui South District

Respondents | Frequency | Percentage | Lack of concentrationInterest and motivation | 10 | 50 % | Interference fromFamily problems | 4 | 20% | Poor reading skills | 6 | 30% | TOTAL | 20 | 100% |

The preceding table explains how causes bring failures to pupils of Paniqui South District. Fifty percent of the pupils lack concentration, interest and motivation to study and do better in class. On the other hand, 30% of the respondents claimed they have poor reading skills which caused them to fail. Finally, 20% believed that interference of family problems result to their poor performance in class.

TABLE V
Preventive Measures to Common Causes of Failures of some Pupils in schools of PSD Respondents | Frequency | Percentage | Developing Reading Skills | 8 | 40 % | Communication with Parents & Teachers | 4 | 20% | Improving Study Habits | 4 | 20% | Implementing Time Management | 4 | 20% | TOTAL | 20 | 100% |

This table shows that 20 respondents participated in the survey of this study the highest number of pupils who don’t have regular study habits, 40 % that is 8 out of the 20 respondents were surveyed, followed by pupils who didn’t have parental and guidance support with 20 % for a total of 4 out of 20 pupils. Lastly, the pupils that had the same least number of data with a total number of 4, and a percentage of 20 was that pupils had no time management or that spent more time on watching TV and no-good establishment of communication with parents and teachers.

CHAPTER V

RECOMMENDATION Based on the findings and conclusions of the study the following recommendations are recommended: | Parents should set aside a regular time to read to their children every day to develop their reading skills. Nothing is more important to academic achievement than being a good reader. Parents know their children best and can provide the one-on-one time attention that will lead them to success in reading. Children should be given a large array of reading materials in their homes like books and magazines that are appealing to them and at their reading level. Parents should establish 15 to 30 minutes of daily practice in reading to increase the reading fluency of their children. Nothing is more challenging than to invest time and efforts in developing reading skills of their children. On the other hand, teachers have a lot to do with their pupils' motivational level. A pupil may arrive in class with a certain degree of motivation. But the teacher's behaviour and teaching style, the structure of the subject, the nature of the assignments and informal interactions with pupils all have a large effect on pupil motivation. A supportive teaching style that allows for pupil autonomy can foster increased pupil interest, enjoyment, engagement and performance. Supportive teacher behaviours include listening, giving hints and encouragement, being responsive to pupil questions and showing empathy for students. Teachers are crucial to the success of their pupils. Pupils should develop a good study habits to make them successful in their studies. Good study habits include many different skills: time management, self discipline, concentration, memorization, organization, and effort. Desire to succeed is important, too. Parents should set rules to their children in managing time wisely. They should set a limitation on their children not to spend more hours in watching TV instead spend more time in studying their lessons. Parents have an important role when it comes to their child's academic success. It has been established that the parent is the top educator in their child's life. It has also been established that the parent is the prime role model for their child. While teachers are important as well, the child will benefit more if there is a collaboration that involves regular communication. Teachers have the capability to express the skills and the concepts that are being introduced in the classroom so that parents may reinforce them at home through an assortment of learning activities. The teacher has the ability to offer productive suggestions on learning tools and even exercises that may be performed at home in order to optimize the child's learning experience. Lastly, an important aspect of learning is for pupils to be able to communicate what they know or think. The best way for teachers to encourage communication from all pupils is through classroom discussion or small group work. There has always been the notion that you learn best when you actually have to teach or explain a concept to someone else. This means being able to verbalize what you know. So teachers need to encourage their pupils to verbalize their own knowledge so that they can learn more efficiently. Pupils on the listening end also benefit from hearing their classmates explanations. When pupils listen to each other, they often benefit from hearing concepts being explained from different points and in ways that might be closer to the pupils way of thinking. When pupils listen effectively, they generate questions to further everybody's thinking and learning. Communication between parents, pupils and teachers plays an important role in the success of a child’s life in their academic pursuits.

Bibliography

Ayson, Ferda. “Too much TV Causes, students poor performances c 2005. Kapaln, Diane. “Decomposing the academic failure dropouts relationships C 2008. Khamir, Roxanne. “Teenagers topic guide c 2006. Lee, Chua Quenna. “How to help our children do well in school” Philippine Star c 2007. Marens, Gary, “Reflections on academic success and failures c 2008. Needham, Belinda, “Parents and awareness of students school performances c 2007. Sison-Dionisios et al., “Practice that will guide our children in their studies “Phil. Daily Inquirer, C 2007. Shiede Jane. “Reasons for Academic Failures. “ c 2006.

Questionnaires

Study Habits | Yes | No | 1. Do you study regularly throughout the year? | | | 2. Do you recall important points after reading a lesson? | | | 3. Do you get easily distracted by noise? | | | 4. Do you have difficulty in taking the notes in class? | | | 5. Do you do your homework? a. in the class during leisure time b. at home? | | | 6. Do you pay attention during the class? | | | 7. Do you study three or more hours per day outside of class? | | | 8. Do you watch tv? If yes how many hours per day? | | | 9. Do you work harder in the subject that you feel you are weak? | | | 10. Do you go to tuition for extra coaching? If yes what are the subjects? | | |

Teacher-Pupil Interaction | Yes | No | 1. Do you ask any question to your teacher? | | | 2. Does your teacher praise the work of every individual child? | | | 3. Do you share any of your personal problems with your teacher? | | | 4. Does your teacher gives punishment if you do not answer her question in class? | | | 5. Does your teacher take personal interest in you? | | | 6. a. Does your teacher give only notes or b. gives explanation about the given notes? | | | 7. Does your teacher call you to solve the problems on the board? | | | 8. Does your teacher give any homework? | | | 9. Does your teacher treat you equally like other pupils? | | | 10. Does your teacher explain clearly about the topic and gives notes? | | | 11. Does your teacher use the teaching aids like projected aids, films, slides, while teaching? | | | 12. Do you understand the teaching of your teacher? | | | 13. Does your teacher introduce any new type of question paper? | | |

Parental Guidance and Support | Yes | No | 1. Do your parents help you in doing home work? | | | 2. How many hours your parents sit with you while studying? | | | 3. If you need any study material whether your parents will provide in time? | | | 4. Do your parents encourage you to do things better than others? | | | 5. Do your parents take immediate action for your health problems? | | | 6. Do your parents help you in getting ready before going to school? | | | 7. Do your parents really care for you? | | | 8. Do your parents shout at you whenever you misbehave? | | | 9. Are your parents satisfied with your academic performance in school? | | | 10. Do your parents ask you to do some household work? | | | 11. Do your parents quarrel with each other in front of you? | | |

1. Out of 20 respondents 5 answered no in the question no.1 with regards to their study habits, eight answered yes and seven has no answer.
2. In the Teacher-Pupil Questionnaire question no. 3, 4 respondents answered no, 1 answered yes and 15 respondents have no answer.
3. In Parental Guidance and Support Questionnaire question no. 1, 4 answered no, 2 answered yes and 14 have no answers.
4. For question no. 8 in the pupil’s study habit questionnaire, 4 answered yes, 0 for no and 16 have no answers.