Explaining Psychological Factors Affecting Students’ Hidden Academic Decline with a Focus on Anxiety, Academic Avoidance, and Maladaptive Perfectionism
Keywords:
hidden academic decline, academic anxiety, academic avoidance, maladaptive perfectionism, students, qualitative research, thematic analysisAbstract
This study aimed to explain the psychological factors affecting hidden academic decline among secondary school students in Tehran, with particular emphasis on anxiety, academic avoidance, and maladaptive perfectionism. This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. Participants included 24 secondary school students from Tehran who were selected through purposive sampling based on their experiences of hidden academic decline, reduced academic motivation, avoidance of school tasks, or performance-related anxiety. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Initial saturation occurred in the twenty-first interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to confirm conceptual adequacy. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. To enhance trustworthiness, member checking, peer debriefing, analytic memo-writing, and constant comparison of codes were applied. Data analysis led to the identification of five main categories: “performance anxiety and hidden cognitive exhaustion,” “academic avoidance and protective withdrawal,” “maladaptive perfectionism and fear of imperfection,” “erosion of self-efficacy and academic identity,” and “evaluative climate of family and school.” The findings indicated that hidden academic decline does not necessarily begin with visible grade reduction. Rather, it first emerges through reduced mental presence in class, delayed assignments, fear of being questioned, avoidance of feedback, silent demotivation, and a persistent sense of inadequacy. The results suggest that hidden academic decline is a multidimensional and gradual phenomenon shaped by the interaction of anxiety, avoidance, unrealistic standards, and diminished academic self-efficacy. Therefore, early identification of emotional and behavioral warning signs, modification of grade-centered educational climates, anxiety-regulation training, and school-based psychological interventions may prevent hidden decline from turning into overt academic failure.
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