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Using qualitative methods, it examines 25 Grade 6 students’ perspectives in 2023 through open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identifies four factor groups: academic, socioeconomic, personal, and psychological. Academic factors are most prominent, followed by socioeconomic and personal influences, while psychological factors contribute indirectly through emotional distress, low motivation, and low self-esteem. Findings support multifaceted interventions to promote academic success and holistic development.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/an-examination-of-factors-linked-to-poor-academic-performance-of-primary-school-students/592049/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/an-examination-of-factors-linked-to-poor-academic-performance-of-primary-school-students/592049.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Mabel","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-09","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the main aim of the study?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"To examine factors linked to poor academic performance among primary school students, particularly in Bhutanese and Thimphu District contexts.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How was the data collected?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Through qualitative research using open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews with 25 Grade 6 students in 2023.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which factor categories were identified from the thematic analysis?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Academic factors, socioeconomic factors, personal factors, and psychological factors.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},592049,1792672581,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},7971474920318,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/74000ee537e6b0ca360?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1788430171632181674","An Examination of Factors Linked to Poor Academic Performance of Primary School Students  \nKarma Sonam Rigdel  \nWangbama Central School, MoESD, Bhutan, [ksrigdel2018@education.gov.bt](ksrigdel2018@education.gov.bt)  \nNima Tshering  \nSisina Primary School, MoESD, Bhutan, [tsheringnima5555@gmail.com](tsheringnima5555@gmail.com)  \nThe student’s academic performance has been approved to play a pivotal role in primary education. However, the factors contributing to poor academic performance among primary school students have received little attention in Bhutanese contexts. To address this gap, this qualitative study examined the perspectives of 25 class 6 primary school students of 2023 regarding the factors influencing poor academic performance using open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews. The thematic analysis of data unveils various factors contributing to poor academic performance, categorized into four main themes: academic factors, socioeconomic factors, personal factors, and psychological factors. Academic factors emerged asthe most prominent, with issues such as biased assessments, inadequate teaching methods, and limited access to resources significantly impeding students’ learning experiences. Socioeconomic factors, including health disparities, financial constraints, and social relationships, further exacerbated academic challenges. Personal factors, such as academic engagement, individual characteristics, and physical health conditions, also significantly influenced students’ academic outcomes. Although psychological factors were the least significant, they still impacted students’ academic performance through emotional distress, lack of motivation, and low self-esteem. The study suggests that a multifaceted interplay of these factors affects academic performance. Addressing these multiple factors can foster an environment conducive to academic success and holistic development for all students. The study concludes with the practical implications of the findings and the direction for future research is discussed.  \nKeywords: academic factors, poor academic performance, personal factors, primary school, psychological factors, socioeconomic factors  \nINTRODUCTION  \nIn the realm of education, ensuring optimal academic performance among school students stands as a fundamental objective. Hellas et al. (2018) defined academic performance as the level of achievement in meeting educational goals, often assessed through continuous evaluations and the overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) obtained by students. Academic performance not only reflects the effectiveness of educational systems but also plays a pivotal role in shaping individuals’future prospects and societal development (Ozcan, 2021) . Moreover, previous studies have identified and explored diverse factors contributing to the enhancement of students’ academic performance, categorizing them into academic-related, environment-related, personal, social, psychological, and economic domains (Adil et al., 2023; Chahal et al., 2022; Libed, 2022; Munir et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2023) .  \nCitation: Rigdel, K. S., & Tshering, N. (2025) . An examination of factors linked to poor academic performance of primary school students. Anatolian Journal of Education, 10(1), 165-178. [https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2025.10112a](https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2025.10112a)  \nInvestigating the factors related to student’s poor academic performance has become a topic of increasing interest in education circles. For instance, Shahjahan et al. (2021) conducted a crosssectional study in Bangladesh and identified several factors associated with poor academic performance among undergraduate students, including irregular class attendance, father’s low education level, partial family cooperation, use of social media, and excessive time spent gossiping. Conversely, there is hardly any literature that has unravelled factors specifically contributing towards poor academic performance in ","cbCaim1StGzUk09G","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaim1StGzUk09G","pdf",274989,14,"English","# Introduction\n# Research Questions\n# Literature Review\n## Theoretical Framework\n## Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)","[{\"question\":\"What is the main aim of the study?\",\"answer\":\"To examine factors linked to poor academic performance among primary school students, particularly in Bhutanese and Thimphu District contexts.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the data collected?\",\"answer\":\"Through qualitative research using open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews with 25 Grade 6 students in 2023.\"},{\"question\":\"Which factor categories were identified from the thematic analysis?\",\"answer\":\"Academic factors, socioeconomic factors, personal factors, and psychological factors.\"}]","An Examination of Factors Linked to Poor Academic Performance of Primary School Students | PDF",1792073750,35]