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VINZONS PILOT HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Vinzons, Camarines Norte

“The Impact of Smart Shaming on the Academic Performances

Of Selective Honor Students”

Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements in

Practical Research II

Researchers:

Adrielle Zach D. Napuran

Mickyla Joy A. Cereno

Razeal V. Dela Pasion

Riech Gerald P. Pitoy

Cyra Gave V. Aguilar

Sweet Hazel C. Ilan

Abigail V. Dumog

Genie B. Acunin

Mark S. Laurito

November, 2022
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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

Nowadays, the majority of students have encountered smart shaming. Making

fun of someone for being smarter than one is known as smart shaming or anti-

intellectualism. It can also be characterized as antagonism toward or mistrust of

intellectual endeavours. People who think differently are troubled (seen as different),

seen as threats to normality, and treated as outsiders with little regard for the rest of

society. This is the source of the notion that those who have opposing views or are

associated with a counterculture are aristocratic, haughty, anti-poor, and matapobre

(aloof). Shaming those who make the effort to learn more and impart their knowledge

to others is an increasing tendency. As if having intelligence is now a burden and

digging further is bad. It seems more typical to dismiss ideas that are contrary to the

norm than to be curious enough to learn more.

One factor that has an impact on students' academic performance is smart

shaming, which is known to demotivate kids from trying to become smarter and

prevents them from speaking their minds freely. According to Hazel T. Biana (2019),

Anti-offshoot, intellectualism's smart-shaming, is pervasive in Philippine culture. This

offers a critical analysis of the smart-shaming phenomenon through the viewpoint of

feminist theorist and cultural critic Bell Hooks. It offers suggestions on how
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intersectionality, which is a web of repressive institutions caused by disparities in race,

class, and gender, may help feminist critical thinking combat smart-shaming culture.

There is never a better moment than the present to pick up new knowledge or

abilities. There is barely any justification for being complacent about knowing when

there is free and unrestricted access to endless material online. Instead, this time is

used to denigrate everyone who is genuinely interested in learning. Recognize the

futility of holding out hope that learning more will result in anything. It is simple to

assume that only those in positions of power have access to universal knowledge and

that it is best to settle with what is accessible.

If we are constantly satisfied with what we are given and refuse to ask questions

- and if we blame those who actually do - then we accept our stride backward while

everyone else leaves us behind, as Thomas Edison famously remarked. “Restlessness is

discontent is the first necessity of progress.” Then, only we are to blame for our failure.

Statement of the Problem

This study is primarily focused on The Impact of Smart Shaming on the

Academic Performances of Selective Honor Students.

Basically, this study aims to answer the following research question:

1. What are the factors influencing the factors affecting the self-esteem of selective

honour students?
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2. How do honor students deals with smart shaming?

3. What intervention program can you propose to stop smart shaming?

Assumption of the Study

The study will be conducted based on the following assumptions:

1. There are various factors affecting the students on their academic performances.

2. To find out on how they handle the smart shaming.

3. Students productivity on their performance in the classroom.

Scope and Delimitation

The researchers will cover the impact of smart shaming on the academic

performances of the honored students. The primary subjects of this research study will

consist of the honour students of Grade 12 enrolled in academic year 2022-202. The

respondents will be limited to twenty (20) Grade 12 Honored Students who are in the

HUMSS Strand of Academic Senior High School of the Vinzons Pilot High School.

Moreover, the participants will be purposely selected by referring if they are honored

students.
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Significance of the Study

The study aims to focus on determining the impact of smart shaming on the

academic performance of the selective honor students. The outcome of the study is

beneficial to the following:

Honor student. They will be the respondents on how the smart shaming affects

their academic performances.

Teachers. The results of the study may benefit the teachers from knowing the

learning conditions of the selective honour students and its impacts to their

performance in school.

Principal. This study will help the principal to think of an effective strategy to

handle the school so that the school are well organized.

Future Researchers. This study will serve as a basis for future researchers to

undergo similar studies related to the impact of smart shaming to the academic

performance of senior high school students.

Definition of Terms

Smart Shaming.  is generally defined as the act of mocking or opposing the

development of ideas in an intellectual conversation and expressing hostility and

mistrust to intellectual pursuits.

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Academic. relating to schools, colleges, and universities, or connected with

studying and thinking rather than practical skills.

Delimitation. Are choices made by the researcher which should be mentioned.

They describe the boundaries that you have set for the study. This is the place to

explain: the things that you are not doing (and why you have chosen not to do them).

Hypothesis. a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited

evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Empathy. The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Stereotypes. A widely held but fixes and oversimplified image or idea of a

particular type of person or thing.

Significance. Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention;

noteworthy.

Objectives. (of a person or their judgment) not influenced by personal feelings

or opinions in considering and representing fact

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END NOTES

Bania, Hazel T., (2019). A Call for Feminist Critical Thinking In A Smart-Shaming

Culture, Vol. 3 (No. 1) http://ses-journal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4_Biana_A-

Call-for-Feminist-Critical-Thinking_SESv5n1_2019.pdf
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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE/STUDIES

Local Studies

According to Dela Cruz (2018), “Anti-intellectualism in the Philippines is slowly

spreading. Some may say that it is nothing to worry about but the long term effect of

this problem will be heavy especially to our economy and the youth. ‘Pinoy’ culture

is seemingly set in stone and smart-shaming is unfortunately a part of that. Based on

an article published by Sta. Romana (2015), cited from the book, “Sikolohiyang Pilipino”

by Dr. Virgilio Enriquez that gives emphasis to the concept of “kapuwa” or sense of

togetherness, Filipinos give importance to the virtue of company on ship with the

common people. Unfortunately, with only 42% of the Philippine population who finished

high school and 25% of the Filipinos under the poverty line, most of the common

people are ill-educated and impoverished (2010 Census by the Philippine Statistics

Authority).

This, as stated by Sta. Romana (2015), is one of the reasons why Filipinos are

inclined to smart shaming and not because they admire ignorance. On the other hand,

prominent people like the late Ferdinand Marcos may have also built the foundation of

distrust to intellectuals because of his use of such word as an insult to those running for

the public office. Influential individuals like him can change the perspectives of the

common people and persuade them to think in the same way they do, thus, increasing

anti-intellectualism (Bagdan, 2019 as cited in Sta. Romana, 2015)

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In a country where anti-intellectualism have built a common mind-set

among its people, the academic community is at stake and students,

especially the achievers are frequent targets of smart shaming that affects

them in various aspects, but most commonly their social or interpersonal

skills. Before, when a student gets a failing grade, his initial response would

probably be dismay. This is contradicting to what happens today because

learners who tend to fail their subjects will only laugh at  this predicament.

This scenario that commonly happens in a school setting is a depiction of

how some of the present-day learners forget the importance of

intellectualism (Fortuno & Cuason, 2017)

Foreign Studies

Social disengagement is associated with shame that is demonstrated in

social and clinical psychology. In a study they conducted, shamed

participants preferred to work and play alone and were less likely to do tasks

with a co-worker. The same problem can be observed in schools, were most

students experiencing smart shaming tend not to socialize and communicate

with their colleagues again. This creates an impact to their interpersonal

skills for communication is a vital aspect of human functioning and teaches

(Taylor, 2017).
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According to Triki, Nicholls, Wegener, Bay & Cook (2012) as cited by

Cuason and Fortuno (2017), anti-intellectualism may impact student’s

performance in academic education. Students high in anti-intellectual

attitudes and those with low academic dishonesty, they also tend to show

lack of interest in class. They are often the ones who display academic

dishonesty and consistently downgrade intellectuals and their work.

One frequent reason is that students feel like their intellectual

classmates are superior over them. Sison (2015), explained this and stated

that, “Instead of engaging a person who has something interesting to say,

their ideas are perceived as a threat, as if the person were hurling insults

instead of stating facts. The offended party feels that the person with a

unique thought is making them feel stupid.” Students give connotation to

intellectualism as measurement of academic achievements only. This can also

be seen as a reason why they tend to mock their classmates who have good

academic standings (Chinof, 2018). When such thing happens; a gap is

created between the two individuals engaging in a conversation, thus

affecting their interpersonal capability to communicate.

The primary prosocial feeling that “brings people together amid conflict and

following breeches of the social contract,” according to Dacher Keltner. Furthermore, he

contends that shame can “provoke ordinary acts of forgiveness and reconciliation,” if

the offender feels properly humiliated and takes responsibility. So maybe this is how

some student shamers defend their behavior.

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Brené Brown, on the other hand, describes shame as “the intensely painful

feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love,”

noting that it causes fear, risk aversion, and the development of a negative shame

spiral. According to Brown, shame has no prosocial effects: “Researchers don't find

shame correlated with positive outcomes at all—there are no data to support that

shame is a helpful compass for good behavior.”

Synthesis of the State of the Art

Smart-shaming is a negative reaction to intellectual people and intellectual

content in the form of shaming (Rodriguez, 2017). “Edi wow!” (Then wow!), “Ikaw na

matalino!” (You’re the smart one!), and “Ikaw na magaling.” (You know it all.) are some

of the examples of smart-shaming. Hearing these words after stating a well-constructed

idea to your friend leads to various possibilities. Beside the emotions being obstructed

by the dropped statement, the flow of facts and information has been clogged leading

to the limitation of perspective. This trend is labelled as anti-intellectualism or smart-

shaming wherein the speaker is being shamed for knowing a certain ideology that he

has shared to the listener. Totalitarian governments apply and manipulate this

movement to repress political dissent. This repression of the intellect is evident not just

in European and American history but as well in our own during the Spanish

colonization.
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Smart-shaming is blatantly obvious in the age of social media and the expansion

of international communication. That we live in the era of knowledge cannot be

disputed. Information and facts are readily available; however there are numerous

instances of deception. Smart-shaming is still in use in this data flow. What impact does

this have on the information being restricted by these claims?

According to J. Brooks Bousoun in the book “True Confessions: Uncovering the

Hidden Culture of Shame in English Studies,” calling shame “the dark twin of our

intellectual pride” (626).  She invites us to consider the blame we assign students

as a manifestation of a much broader culture of academic one-upmanship to

which faculty also fall victim. Of course, this cycle starts early, in elementary

schools that teach comparison and competition.

As Ellen Langer says in The Power of Mindful Learning, “teachers are

some of the most caring people among us. They are recruited, however, into a

system that, in part, is mindless. Tests, grades, and labels are part of the

judgmental culture of schools” (xvi). Academic hierarchies established early on

are only reinforced by the politics and practices of graduate school, and

replicated beyond. Indeed, there are so many opportunities to feel “less than”

within academic culture: an idea dismissed by teachers, colleagues or

classmates; a job not gotten; a promotion not granted; a voice ignored in a

meeting; the article rejected or book not published. As resources and positions

dwindle, the value of higher education is increasingly called into question, and
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the stakes feel higher, our educational spaces can feel increasingly combative. In

such a context, embattled faculty shaming even-more-vulnerable students fails to

get to the root of the problem and perpetuates a toxic culture.

As a result, none of the papers we analyzed were duplicated in this study.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain how smart shaming affects the

academic achievement of the participants in the study. The purpose of this study

is to determine how it will help children who are being smart shamed and how it

will benefit the researcher, teachers, and students in general.

Gap Bridged by the Study

As presented in the following literature review section, many research studies

have investigated the impact of smart shaming on the academic performance of the

students. However, few studies have examined if and how smart shaming affects to the

students’ mental health.

Theoretical Framework with Paradigm

Leon Festinger (1957) developed the cognitive dissonance theory. This theory is

referred to as action-opinion theory and fits into counterintuitive social psychology. The

core concept of action opinion theory suggests that actions affect subsequent

beliefs/attitudes. Akin to this study, action opinion theory highlights the power of
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“rationalization” facilitated by cognitive reappraisal (opinion) to justify one’s expression

(action) according to one’s own perception and motivation. Cognitive dissonance

focuses on the pervasive human tendency to rationalize. To clarify this notion, a study

(Beauvois & Joule, 1996) found that cognitive dissonance follows the need to

“rationalize” behavior. They further asserted that this rationalization may not always be

based from logic. This theory asserted that the need to rationalize is being brought

about by cognitive inconsistency.

Cognitive dissonance happens when one has different association from the

others. This follows that people with smart-shaming tendency tends to associate smart

people as being arrogant even when they “know” it could be identified as being

articulate or opinionated. This association style by “rationalization” is facilitated by

cognitive reappraisal. Construal of thoughts by cognitive reappraisal emphasized that

this kind of rationalization process may not always be based from logic. This association

is more influenced by an emotional arousal. This emotional arousal can then be

evaluated and modified by cognitive reappraisal. This paper asserted that rationalization

and justification of this kind is an emotional response.

People rationalize when there is inconsistency of thoughts. Cognitive

inconsistency evokes cognitive regulation and forces a response to reduce the

dissonance. A related phenomenon of smart shaming is worth mentioning at this point.

Quoting from the Online Smart Shaming, some expressions are as follows; “ikaw na

matalino”, “ang dami mong alam” “sige bobo na ako”. One way to reduce the

dissonance of this type is for an individual to justify his/her reactions are acceptable or
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by rationalizing that others in similar situations have the same type of reactions.

Rationalizing and justifying behaviors, perceptions and actions are facilitated by

cognitive reappraisal strategy. This study indicated the expression “Ang dami mong

alam” as a smart shaming tendency. The quoted expression suggested that the

endpoint of reappraisal strategy is usually followed by an expressive response. Akin to

our study, this emotional response suggests low expressive suppression strategy. This

expression was quoted from the Online Smart Shaming Scale (OSS) used by Raphael

Rodriguez (In press) as a behavioral indicator of one’s action attacking the personality

of others. Attacking one’s personality is one way to reduce the tension of a situation.

This way of characterizing the dissonance process as adaptive does not suggest that it

is a rational process (based on logic). This is considered as irrational which stems from

the unpleasant experience of dissonance brought about by an initial arousal.

Cognitive
Dissonance Theory

(Leon Festinger, The Impact of Smart Shaming on the Academic

1957) Performances of Selective Honor Students

Behavior on Academic
VINZONS PILOT HIGH SCHOOL
Performance
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Conceptual Framework with Paradigm

The researcher used the IPO model or the Input, Output, Process format

in presenting Conceptual Framework.

Output Process
Input

Profile of the
Conducting
Respondents.
Survey
Analyzed Data
Survey Form
Analyzing the
Gathered Data
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End Notes

Cuason, S. U., & Fortuno, R. DS. (2017). Development of Student’s Scale for Anti-

intellectualism. The Bedan Journal of Psychology 2017, p. 81. Retrieved from

https://www.sanbeda-alabang.edu.ph

Sta. Romana, J. M. (2015, July 6). Smart shaming and our Filipino Culture of anti-

intellectualism. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/517026/smart-

shaming-and-our-pinoy-culture-of-anti-intellectualism/story

Chinof, R. (2018). The Underpinnings of Filipino Anti-Intellectualism. Retrieved from

https://www.getrealphilippines.com/2018/03/underpinnings-anti-intellectualism/

Dela Cruz, I. (2018). Smart Shaming: The Filipino Culture of Anti-Intellectualism.

Retrieved from https://www.change,org/p/web-surfers-smart-shaming-the-filipino-

culture-of-anti-intellectualism 

Sison, S. (2015). What’s up with smart shaming? Retrieved from

https://rappler.com/views/imho/109333-smart-shaming

Cuason. U. (2017) Smart Shaming and its Impact to the Students

https://www.coursehero.com/file/42649047/SMART-SHAMING-REPORT-PART-1docx/
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Taylor (2017) The Effect of Communication Skills and Interpersonal Problem Solving

Skills on Social Self-Efficacy https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017303.pdf

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CHAPTER 3