Christopher Thomas Annan, Selassie Adom, Isaac Awuah Siaw, Grace Owusu Aboagye, Henry Kpotor
The subject of poor school performance (PSP) usually refers to poor academic attainment and not the holistic education that is the ideal for all children. Schools are structured such that the curriculum for teaching comes with its own criterion. Any child who is not achieving the stated benchmark could be described as performing poorly or belowexpectations and in most cases will be tagged as a ‘poor performing child’.
Most of these standards are tied to age and its major drawback is the fact it is usually targeted at two types of intelligence. The targeted intelligence includes linguistic and or logical (excluding the spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic intelligence). In addition, tests are conducted in confined areas, with eagle eye supervision and under limited time which involves examining assimilation of large volumes of information.
The teaching modus operandi used by educators and parents in imparting knowledge to learners can leave some learners disadvantaged. Particularly learners whose strength of assimilating knowledge is not through verbal or logical intelligence route.
Every child is a unique being with different abilities which are influenced by their genes, environment, and experiences. A child with poor school performance must not be viewed as not wanting to excel or born ‘dumb’. Parents, teachers, and all stakeholders must put in the effort to make sure ‘No One is Left Out’. It is often easy to assume the child does not want to learn or was born with a low capacity for academic achievements. The brain is highly complex with over 86 billion neurons (brain cells) that have a limitless capacity for learning and excelling in life.
A myriad of factors underlie poor school performance among school going children and young adults. Medical disorders such as Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, and Intellectual Disabilities are some causes of PSP. Other problems may include handwriting, reading, speech, vision and auditory perception, adequate nutrition, traumatic events, conflicts in the family, dysfunctional homes, poor self-esteem, and other psychosocial factors all contribute to poor school performance. A referral to a pediatrician may be warranted as the first step in helping children with poor school performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPRe9Qc4Uho Click to watch video
Follow the link or click on the videos below for more information about poor school performance.
REFERENCES
- Young, J.R., Yanagihara, A., Dew, R. et al. Pharmacotherapy for Preschool Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Current Status and Future Directions. CNS Drugs 35, 403–424 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-021-00806-z
- Hasson, U., Nastase, S. A., & Goldstein, A. (2020). Direct fit to nature: an evolutionary perspective on biological and artificial neural networks. Neuron, 105(3), 416-434
- Ackerman, P. L. (2014). Nonsense, common sense, and science of expert performance: Talent and individual differences. Intelligence, 45, 6-17.
- Reiss, S. Six Motivational Reasons for Low School Achievement. Child Youth Care Forum 38, 219–225 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-009-9075-9
- Karande, S., Kulkarni, M. Poor school performance. Indian J Pediatr 72, 961–967 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02731673
- Hernandez, C. A., Prada, R., & Rincón, G. A. (2019, November). Multiple intelligences and academic performance in basic education students: An analysis of main components. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1388, No. 1, p. 012047). IOP Publishing.