Grace Owusu Aboagye, Isaac Awuah Siaw, Henry Kpotor
This issue of the challenges faced by poorly performing students brings to mind the iceberg, the silent, undetected bulk of suffering by those who perform poorly in school. And more importantly, how as a society we have taken the easy road of finding someone or something else to blame for the dismal academic performance of students. Could it also be the case of the iceberg mentioned earlier?
What we see is the poor school performance and the unacceptable behaviors on the surface but cannot see beyond the façade put up by these unfortunate students. Refresh-RX Foundation is sounding a clarion call to all stakeholders to join us to bring the discussion to the table. We need to discuss the causes of poor school performance and the challenges students with low academic achievement face.
Poor school performance often starts with difficulties in understanding and retaining information which projects into low grades. When a pupil has low grades and no concrete steps are taken to address the issue (that is tracing the underlying cause(s) and time invested in helping the child grasp the concepts taught in class), the child lags behind in education. As the years go by, the subject areas the child cannot grasp or retain the knowledge in grows. This makes it even harder for the child to catch up with the classmates, leading to emotional and psychological problems.
Students with poor school performance will approach schoolwork with trepidation, anxiety, and the shame of not being up to the task. The fear of failure and inadequacy can lead to stress, depression, and anxiety. One must note that there could already be an underlying poor mental health which may be the initial cause of poor academic performance. A child with consistent low grades has an additional challenge to deal with. This is having strained relationships with teachers, parents, and classmates. Frustrated educators may become disengaged. Parents and guardians may be at a loss as to how to support their struggling child effectively and may resort to venting their frustrations on the child, sometimes being verbally or physically abusive.
How do poorly performing learners deal with all these challenges? What do we observe about these learners? We usually find them disengaged from the learning process and exhibit almost zero motivation towards their academics fueled by poor mental health with parents, teachers and community that is not kind or understanding. Further worsening their plight, they resort to absenteeism and may eventually drop out of school altogether. The risk is that they may be lured into illegal drugs or other social vices.
Refresh-RX Foundation calls on all parents and teachers not to give up on their low performing learners. Each child is unique and learns differently. There is remediation available from educators who have specialized in learners with this challenge. Also, it will be good to see a pediatrician to review and confirm the presence or otherwise medical and/or psychological or both. There is hope.
References
- Duncan, M. J., Patte, K. A., & Leatherdale, S. T. (2021). Mental Health Associations with Academic Performance and Education Behaviors in Canadian Secondary School Students. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 36(4), 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573521997311
- Agnafors S, Barmark M, Sydsjö G. Mental health and academic performance: a study on selection and causation effects from childhood to early adulthood. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2021 May;56(5):857-866. doi: 10.1007/s00127-020-01934-5. Epub 2020 Aug 19. PMID: 32813024; PMCID: PMC8068628.
