Factors affecting the academic performance and achievement of students

Abstract

This study highlights the importance of incorporating students’ perspectives to understand the factors that influence academic performance and achievement, based on sociodemographic, emotional, curricular, cognitive, and methodological dimensions. The purpose was to determine the perceptions of 12th-grade students from the Inter-Andean and Coastal regions regarding the factors that affect their academic performance. The study’s methodology followed a pragmatic philosophy, employing a mixed-methods approach with a non-experimental design that proceeded sequentially: first with quantitative data, then with qualitative data, and finally with their integration. The scope was both exploratory and descriptive. A structured survey using Likert-type scales was administered to 206 students, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders—teachers, experts, and students—and the findings were combined by triangulating methods and sources. The main finding was the complex definition of academic performance as multicausal, the outcome of which stems from an interaction of socioeconomic conditions, emotional well-being (motivation, self-esteem, stress), curricular appropriateness, cognitive strategies, and teaching practices, with methodological and emotional aspects being most frequently highlighted by the students. Furthermore, a useful categorical framework is provided to guide pedagogical and managerial decision-making.