Development of Academic Achievement and Ordinary National Educational Test Results in Junior High School Students Using The Minimum Passing Level Admission Criteria: A Case Study of Surawiwat School, Suranaree University of Technology

Abstract

The purpose of this research was 1) to compare the academic achievement and Ordinary National Educational Test (O-NET) results of junior high school students admitted to the school as real sequence students versus substitute students and 2) to compare the academic achievement of these two groups in each semester. This research was an analytical study. The target group consisted of 263 grade 9 students from the academic years 2022 and 2023, and the data were collected from the school's secondary database. The data included: 1) admission examination results, 2) academic achievement for 6 semesters during the 2020-2023 academic years, and 3) results of the O-NET test. The data were analyzed using percentages, Independent Sample t-test, and Repeated Measures ANOVA. The results of this research showed that the majority of students admitted to the school were selected based on the real sequence (58.2% ) and substitutes (41.8%). It was found that students admitted based on the real sequence had higher cumulative grade point averages ( GPAX) and O-NET results compared to those admitted as substitutes, statistically significant at the .01 level. When considering the academic performance average (GPA)of each semester, it was found that students admitted based on the real sequence had stable GPA in the 1st through 5th semesters but showed a clear decrease in the 6th semester, statistically significant at the .05 level. This decrease was caused by a decline GPA in subjects: Social Studies, Religion and Culture, Arts, and Foreign Languages. As for substitute students, their GPA was low in the 1st semester, improved and stabilized in the 2 nd through 5th semesters, but decreased again in the 6th semester, statistically significant at the .01 level. This decrease was caused by a decline GPA in subjects: Mathematics, Social Studies, Religion and Culture, and Foreign Languages. The results suggest that students admitted based on the real sequence and substitutes develop their academic performance at different times according to their potential. Therefore, schools should monitor and organize teaching and learning to develop the academic performance of both groups students appropriately, continuously, and equally.