QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OFCHILDRENSCHOOLING IN AN ISLAND

Good quality of life (QoL) may provide conducive environment for school children to studyand perform better. Studies indicate that school children residing in isolated areaswith discontented quality of life did not perform academically. However, theissue of QoL and its relation to academic performance in a secluded island of Pulau Tuba is interesting to study. Thisis because, while Pulau Tuba is an isolated island, being part and partial of tourism industry inLangkawi had caused for the island to be unique and different. Therefore, this study investigated the possible relation between the residents QoL and the academicperformance of their children. An adapted questionnaire was used to collect the required data for the study. Several interviews with the local residents were also conducted to acquire the necessary data in order to supportthefindings of the study. The study found that the villagers are enjoying their good quality of life. Nevertheless, that could not contribute much in better academic performance of the school children. Tri-angulation using interviews was conducted to validate the findings and dig out the answers to the anomaly. Recommendations were figured out as the ways to improve theacademic performance of the school children.