Paper Title
The Impact of Counseling and using Self-Reflection Approach on Performance of Lower Achieving Students

Abstract
This is an observational study that aims at identifying students’ psychological behavior that influences their attitude towards learning and ways to motivate these students to perform better in their general foundation programme offered by Higher Education Institutions in the Sultanate of Oman through academic advising and self-reflection approaches that were used to improve students’ level. The study is conducted on 17 pre-elementary students. The researchers applied mixed methods for this study. The quantitative data includes students’ data retrieved from the Student Information System (SIS) of the institution and a survey to uncover students’ psychological behavioral. The qualitative data is derived from a combination of academic advising sessions and a self-reflective approach where the students are encouraged to reflect on their areas of strengths and weaknesses related to their Writing and Speaking modules. The researchers have observed several negative behaviors that influence students’ attitudes towards learning, such as: overuse of mobile phones, unwillingness to study, coeducation system in HEIs, and poor attendance that have negatively affected the students’ attitudes towards learning, and as a result they could not progress to the next level. As an intervention, the researchers have adopted two ways to help students perform better in their studies namely: academic advising and self-reflection approach. The academic advising sessions have given the researchers an opportunity to counsel the students and motivate them towards learning. The self-reflection approach helped to familiarize the students with the learning outcomes and be aware of what is required to achieve those outcomes. The academic advisors also helped the students to achieve those LOs through various activities and tasks in speaking and writing as per student needs. This study might help in providing some useful strategies for English Language teachers to motivate and encourage low performers in GFP. Keywords: Academic Advising, Psychological Behavior, Learning Outcomes, Self-Reflection, General Foundation Programme.