Academic Performance of the Repeaters: A Mixed Method Approach to Primary Education

D This mixed method study examines the impact of grade retention on the academic performance of the repeaters during the repeated year. For the quantitative part, 4th grade students (N=346) in public schools (N=42) were taken as the study sample. Initially, this sample was divided into two main groups, i.e. Identified Poor Performers and the Normal Group of students. After annual examinations, the former group was further divided in two subgroups on the basis of results, i.e. Repeaters Sample and Identified Poor but Promoted Sample. A multiphase panel study was designed to collect quantitative data. The data related to academic performance was collected by locally developed tests of five subjects taught in public schools at grade four. A series of analysis were performed with quantitative data to analyze the variations in academic performance of all the three groups. For qualitative part of the study, a group of experienced school teachers (N=12) teaching at primary level in public schools were selected as the key informants. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with the participant teachers. The two sets of data were collected concurrently, whereas the triangulation of both types was carried out after completion of the analysis stage. The findings of the study suggested that there was significant positive impact of grade retention on the academic performance of the Repeaters. However, the academic performance of the Repeaters was not found significantly better than those of the Identified Poor but Promoted Sample and the Normal Group of the students of public schools.