THE ACADEMIC CHALLENGES OF

THE HIGH-PERFORMING JUNIOR

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
DURING THE CONDUCT OF
DISTANCE LEARNING MODALITY
Angelyn R. Son
MAEd-ELT

Submitted to:
Dr. Helen Boholano

College of Teacher Education

Cebu Normal University
Cebu City
Rationale
Humanity is in danger due to the spread of COVID-19 since many international
activities, particularly those related to education, have been shut down as a result of the
pandemic. The unexpected closure of educational institutions as a result of the
emergence of COVID-19 prompted the authorities to suggest adopting alternatives to
traditional learning methods in emergencies to ensure that students are not left without
studying and to prevent the epidemic from spreading (Maatuk, 2021). In spite of the
several lockdowns and ongoing COVID-19 threat, it was discovered that online
education has made it possible to provide instruction to students. The online setup was
manageable for learners because of varied methods for adjusting to the "new normal."
Although there are still difficulties that cannot be avoided, ongoing efforts are being
made to ensure that students receive high school education that is of high quality,
equitable, and accessibility. However, it is recommended to further enhance the conduct
of the online lessons; address issues that presented a difficulty to the students upon the
reopening of schools; consider intervention for the students' social elements; and provide
ongoing support to both the students and the teachers.
This pandemic has forced some changes in education, including in the
Philippines. High-performing students are thought to be particularly impacted by
the situation since they tend to experience their emotions more vividly than other
students. The school closures and isolation have led parents of gifted children to
experience a higher psychological burden and more family conflict than normal.
In their self-regulated learning, gifted have experienced changes. Covid-19 has
also disrupted their daily activities and prevented their free movement, making
them feel like they are not doing something important, resulting in adverse effects
such as sleep disorders, depression, isolation, frustration, and loss of motivation.
Most gifted students often have negative online learning perspectives, indicating
it as inefficient and lacking in effectiveness and connections (Aboud, 2021).
Nowadays, especially in modular modality, students tend to procrastinate or to
delay a certain work that needs to be accomplished on a certain deadline. It is a
behavioral problem that occurs in every individual (Tiboron, 2021). Many
students, particularly the high-performing Junior High School students of Saint
Francis Academy, have experienced difficulties in learning. They are not
motivated enough to accomplish the tasks that are assigned to them by their
teachers and which lead them to procrastination. No one is exempted on this.
Including some of those who top in the class even before the start of pandemic
become unmotivated upon learning during the pandemic. Because of this, their
grades have been affected. Most of the students including the high-performing
students were greatly affected by the change brought by the pandemic.
Due to the existing problem, the researcher felt the need to examine and explore
on this; the academic challenges of the high-performing Junior High School
students during the conduct of distance learning modality is at utmost
importance.
Statement of the Problem

This study evaluates the academic challenges of the high-performing Junior High
School students during the conduct of distance learning modality to propose a
remedial program.

Specifically, it answers the following questions:

1. What are the respondents’ academic challenges during the conduct of distance
learning?
2. What are the effects of distance learning to the academic performance of the
high-performing Junior High School students?
3. Based on the findings, what remedial program can be proposed?
Research Design

This study about the academic challenges of the high-performing Junior High
School students during the conduct of distance learning modality is a qualitative
phenomenological design. The important data needed in this inquiry will be
gathered through an interview method. It aims to know the academic challenges
of the high-performing Junior High School students during the conduct of
distance learning modality. This will aid the researcher in accumulating essential
information which will be highly significant for the data analysis and
interpretation.
Research Environment

This study will be conducted at Saint Francis Academy which is situated in an

urban community of Balamban, Cebu. Its neighboring towns are Asturias, Toledo
City, Tuburan, and Pinamungajan. Saint Francis Academy is 750 meters away
from Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church and a 2-minute walk away from the
Balamban Public Market. It has 30 instructional rooms and 10 non-instructional
rooms. The class size is around 40 students. The school offers academic courses
both in Junior and Senior High School. For Senior High School, 3 strands are
being offered such as Accounting, Business and Management (ABM), Humanities
and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM). The school consists of 35 teaching staffs and more than 10
non-teaching staffs. It is managed by a school principal and run by a school
directress from the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (ICM)
Congregation.
Research Respondents

The target population of this study will be the high-performing Junior High
School students of Saint Francis Academy. They will be the key participants
using the purposive sampling approach to identify the academic challenges of
the high-performing Junior High School students during the conduct of distance
learning modality.
Research Instrument

Significant data needed in this study will be gathered through the survey
questionnaire that will be conducted among the high-performing Junior High
School students. This consists of 20 personal perceptions or different academic
challenges of the high-performing Junior High School students during the
conduct of distance learning modality.
Data Gathering Procedure

This qualitative research will utilize the phenomenological inquiry in

understanding the different academic challenges of the high-performing Junior
High School students during the conduct of distance learning modality.
Considering the global pandemic and Covid-19 community guidelines,
orientation on the procedure of data collection, confidentiality and voluntary
participation; distribution of informed consent; and the conduct of semi-
structured in-depth interview will all be done virtually – either google meet,
zoom, skype or messenger considering the respondent’s preference. To ensure
privacy and confidentiality, the aforementioned processes will be conducted on
an individual basis.
Data Analysis

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be utilized to achieve

detailed analysis of the respondent’s experiences through identifying and
discussing the experiential themes and will be given meaning through the
researcher’s interpretation. The data analysis procedure will be governed by
Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological analysis.
Ethical Considerations

All collected and collated information in this study shall be held with
utmost confidentiality. The respondents will be aware of the conduct of the study
and have therefore their permission will be asked to be part in this research. The
disclosure of the instrument and tool used in the conduct of the study will be
solely for the participants only and the only participant can have the full access to
their answers in the questionnaire should they wish to alter something in their
answers.
In this study, the participants will not be subjected to any harm and there will be
a full consent that will be obtained from the participants prior to the study. The
result of this study shall remain confidential and anonymity of the students will
also be ensured. Any exaggeration about the aims and objectives of the research
will be avoided.
References

Aboud,Y. (2021). Challenges to gifted education in the Covid-19 pandemic about online learning in Saudi Arabia
from the perspective of gifted students and parents. Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity, 11.
Eom, S. B. (2006).The Determinants of Students' Perceived Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction in University
Online Education:An Empirical Investigation. Decision Sciences: Journal of Innovative Education, 21.
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361548567_I_Survived_Academic_Life_of_Junior_High_School_Lear
ners_in_Online_Distance_Learning
Maatuk,A. M. (2021).The COVID-19 pandemic and E-learning: challenges and opportunities from the
perspective of students and instructors. SpringerLink, 18.
Tiboron, G. B. (2021, June). Research Gate. Retrieved from researchgate.net:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353260843_Procrastination_Attitude_of_the_Senior_High_School_
Students_in_Modular_Distance_Learning_Modality
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361682814_Academically_Challenged_Students_in_Mathematics_in_
Modular_Distance_Learning
Türksoy, E. &. (2021, January). Research Gate. Retrieved from researchgate.net:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Enver-
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