Abstract
This research study aimed to determine the causes of students' grade inflation in a pandemic using Exploratory Sequential Design. Grade Inflation could lower study desire and hinder schools' ability to detect well-prepared students. At the same time, higher marks may increase other students' confidence and motivate them to pursue challenging professions where they may succeed. The 17 respondents were selected using purposive sampling, and ten (10) students were assigned to in-depth interviews and seven (7) to focus group discussions. A total of 200 respondents were randomly selected and assigned to Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in equal proportions (EFA). Thus, it was revealed during the interview, as indicated in the theme, that students experienced grading leniency, adjusted to shifting of learning modality, course execution and evaluation, teachers' factor, incorporated efficiency of learning, and organized strategic learning plan. It indicates that although grades may demotivate some students and hinder schools' capacity to identify qualified candidates, better grades may drive other students to pursue complex disciplines in which they thrive. However, the underlying dimensions have a significant impact. It's almost impossible for students to have a positive impact on society if they aren't academically equipped. Thus, the study's results revealed in the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) that the instruments in the study were reduced to 19 out of 30 items as the final tool. It is also indicated that the instrument's reliability was very high, as indicated by the Cronbach Alpha (a=.798). Therefore, it is recommended that teachers use specified rubrics to prevent bias in grading by adequately assessing students' performance.
Keywords: Grade Inflation, Grade Leniency, Strategic Plan, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Sequential Design, North Cotabato Division.