Study to investigate factors relating to poor performance in chemistry in Kakamega North district mixed day schools
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Date
2008-11
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Kampala International University, Faculty of Education
Abstract
The study purposed to establish factors that influence poor performance in chemistry in
mixed day schools in Kakamega North district. The district has 14 Secondary that have
presented candidates to KCSE, 64.5% of which are district mixed day schools.
The study targeted 2 mixed day schools, in the district 153 students, form 4Chemistry
teachers and 2 headteachers from two schools: Silungai Secondary School and Lwandeti
Secondary Schools.
The researchers used purposive non - probability sampling technique to select the
schools covered by the study, Chemistry teachers and headteachers from the sampled
schools. Both purposive and lottery sample random sampling technique were used to
select students, the study targeted. Purposive sampling technique was used in classes that
were highly heterogeneous.
Three types of research tools were used to elicit data: questionnaires, observations,
guidelines, and interviews.
The data was collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics: percentages, average,
ratios, graphs and tables. Pearson product-moment method of determining correlation
coefficient was used to determine the correlation between students' performance in
Chemistry and mathematics to provide the basis for subject choice.
The study revealed that there is a positive between staff stability vertical teaching,
availability of learning resources and facilities student's attitudes and aspirations,
frequency of testing, and students' achievement. However, teachers' characteristics such
as age, workload and overlap of responsibilities, relate negatively with students'
achievement.
The research also showed that the two schools and adequate learning resources, teachers
were overloaded, students had negative attitudes and low aspirations; practical experiments
are hardly done and test were rarely administered. This implies that most schools have inadequate funds, which in turn derail proper implementation of the Chemistry
curriculum, and leads to dismal performance.
It is deemed that the findings and recommendations of this research will help schools
with similar trends of performance in Chemistry.
Three questionnaires, headteachers questionnaires, subject teachers' questionnaires and
students' questionnaires were used to obtain data from the respective respondents.
Interviews and observation guidelines were used to obtain data relating to student's
performance. The questionnaires were tested reliability and validity technique before they
were used to collect data from the field.
The data collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics techniques - percentage,
average ratios, graphs, and tables. Pearson's product-moment method of determining
correlation coefficient was used to establish the correlation between student achievement
in chemistry and mathematics to provide the basis for subject choice. The study revealed
that there is a positive relationship between staff stability, vertical teaching availability of
learning resources and facilities, students' aspiration and attitudes, frequency of testing,
and students' achievement.
However, teachers' characteristics such as age, workload, and overlap of responsibilities
relate negatively with student's achievement.
The research also showed that the two schools had inadequate learning resources,
teachers were overloaded, students had negative attitude and low aspirations, practical
experiments were hardly done and tests were administered rarely. This impacted
negatively on achievement. The reason for this was found to be that these schools had
inadequate and unreliable financial resources to support various educational programmes
within the school. As a consequence, the schools performed dismally in Chemistry.
It is deemed that the findings and recommendations arrived at will be of help to schools
with similar trends of performance and constraints.
Description
A thesis submitted the Faculty of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Award of Bachelor of Science in Education of Kampala International University
Keywords
poor performance, mixed day schools