The results of the PISA-2018 study showed that in Kazakhstan, along with the significant success of students attending schools for gifted children, students at mainstream schools drastically fall behind their peers in functional literacy in comparison to the OECD and other neighbouring countries. The share of low achievers in all three subjects (below Level 2) is 37.7% (OECD, 2019). Given this, the reasons for the low performance of secondary school students and its socio-economic and psychological consequences are underexplored in Kazakhstan; the work with underachieving students is not prioritized within the task of closing students’ achievement gap in the State Programme for the Education and Science Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2020-2025(SPESD, 2019).

The relationship between students’ academic performance as an element of human capital and socioeconomic development of countries is confirmed by numerous studies (Hanushek, 2013; Rose & Betts, 2004; Schleicher, 2006). Poor performance in secondary education has long-term negative economic effects for both individuals and states and can lead to serious social problems (Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, 2010; Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, 2020). In particular, the gap in academic performance is one of the main factors in the reproduction of social inequality and unequal access to quality education is a barrier to achieving a just society in many countries (Walker, Pearce, Boe, & Lawson, 2018).

Among the most significant reasons for the emergence of an academic achievement gap in foreign studies are socio-economic background (both at the regional and individual family level) (Bogges, 1998; Ensminger, Fothergill, K. E., Bornstein, M. H., & Bradley, 2003; Sirin, 2005), race (Auguste, Hancock & Laboissiere, 2009), as well as school climate, teaching and assessment methods in secondary school (Kosaretsky, Mertsalova & Senina, 2021; Yeh, 2017). In Kazakhstan, the most likely factors for the achievement gap are the socio-economic situation, the local culture and value system, students’ environment, the language of instruction, and teachers’ low qualifications (Kopeyeva, 2019).

The southern region is taken as a site of investigation due to the lowest results of the external assessment of students’ academic achievement and biggest dropout level (IAC, 2021). The main city of the region is of republican status; it is characterized by cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as a wide spread of socio-economic indicators among the population. The city neighbours little towns and villages, which provides an opportunity to get the broadest and most profound picture of this phenomenon at a low cost.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the causes and consequences of students’ low achievement. In particular, the study pursues exploring the main factors of poor academic performance and arguing for the need to work specifically with low achieving students. As a result, methodological and regulatory recommendations will be developed to support students with poor academic performance.

To achieve this, the paper will answer the following questions:

1. What factors influence students’ low achievement?
2. What influences students’ decision to leave school after Grade 9?
3. How teachers’ beliefs about low achieving students affect students’ performance?
4. What are the implications of students’ low achievement on the individual and social levels?

To answer the research questions, a qualitative case study is planned to be carried out. First, the regulatory acts will be analysed and main literature on the topic of school students’ low achievement will be explored to form the basis for the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of the study. Also, to build the case, particular details of the region under consideration will be carefully examined. In spring 2022, a series of focus groups with senior students and teachers will be conducted in several schools and colleges of the region (urban and rural environment) to explore the reasons for students’ low achievement and dropout. In addition, social workers and school psychologists are planned to be involved in the target audience to facilitate broader perspectives of the social implications behind students’ poor performance. Participants will be reached via convenience and snowball sampling (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2011). The planned scope of the participants is approximately 90 young people (students of senior grades in schools or colleges as well as dropped out adolescents); about 30 secondary school teachers; and 10 social workers and school psychologists. This number of participants is expected to produce rich data to ensure the deep exploration of the problem (Creswell, 2012). The audiotaped focus groups will be transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis techniques (Braun & Clarke, 2006) with the help of NVivo software.

According to the research questions, it is planned to explore the factors behind school students’ low academic achievement. The case study will present the data for one region and explain the reasons for the achievement gap and its effect on students’ self-efficiency, career choice and performance. It is expected to learn how students’ low academic achievement influences their individual lives and how it is reflected on the social development of the community and the region as a whole. The interpretation and discussion of the findings compared to the reviewed literature will enable authors to produce recommendations for the school practitioners and leadership, as well as policymakers on the regional level that can be useful for other regions of Kazakhstan, and other countries facing similar problems.

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