Abstract

The implementation of the K-12 curriculum has brought up significant changes to the Philippines' education system. Globally, this education system was already being utilized for several years, which urged the Philippines to implement it to to make Filipino students globally competitive and further develop their 21st-century skills. With that, students experience more academic stress given that the new curriculum covers new subjects and activities. However, there are students such as the top academic achievers that, despite experiencing the stress brought up by the new curriculum, are still able to perform well academically. With that being said, this descriptive study aims to identify the qualities and practices that top academic achievers possess in which we're contributing to their success. To achieve this, the researchers identified the top student of each batch, starting from grade 7 up to grade 12, and invited them to have a 15-minute one-on-one interview with them that will answer questions about the research problem. In total there were six participants in this study. After conducting the interviews with the participants, it is found that reading in advance, having effective time management skills and prioritizing tasks, participating in extracurricular activities, listening attentively, being hardworking, dedicated, and perseverant, all contribute to their academic success. It shows through this study that being aware of one's time and priorities make it easier to accomplish tasks, regardless of the quantity. Reading in advance makes understanding lessons easier and gives a student a head start in the lesson that will be tackled. Engaging in extracurricular activities is also contributing given that participating in these activities improves one's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Listening attentively makes retention and comprehension of information better. Lastly, actions coupled with hard work, dedication, and perseverance will make reaching academic success attainable.