Abstract—Grade 12 learners in South Africa are under pressure to perform well. In most public schools, they must come early to school and leave late. This pressure might affect their wellbeing if they usually are not cared for. This study explores how the behaviours resulting from personality disorders might affect the performance of grade 12 learners. It adopts a qualitative approach through a phenomenological design. Six participants, three principals, and three SBST members were selected from three secondary schools grades 12, in Phuthaditjhaba, eastern Free State Province, South Africa. The results showed that Behavioural problems caused a lack of discipline at home, a dysfunctional School Based Support Team, paying attention from their peers, and insufficient time to catch up. This study recommends that The School Based Support Team should play its role effectively, especially at the primary school level, to diagnose earlier learners so their profiles can be submitted to secondary schools for more support.
Keywords: Personality disorders, Grade 12 learners
Setloboko, T. (2024). Influence of personality disorders on the academic performance of grade 12 learners. International Journal of Studies in Psychology, 4(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.38140/ijspsy.v4i1.1029