0% found this document useful (0 votes)
39 views

Research Report

This document is a research report submitted by a student named Banda Elisha to David Livingstone College of Education in partial fulfillment of requirements for a Junior Secondary Teachers Diploma. The report examines the academic performance of extension study students at David Livingstone College of Education. It discusses the statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research methodology including the research design, population, sample, instruments, validity, reliability, data collection and analysis. It also presents demographic information about the respondents and analyzes data on factors influencing academic performance.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
39 views

Research Report

This document is a research report submitted by a student named Banda Elisha to David Livingstone College of Education in partial fulfillment of requirements for a Junior Secondary Teachers Diploma. The report examines the academic performance of extension study students at David Livingstone College of Education. It discusses the statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research methodology including the research design, population, sample, instruments, validity, reliability, data collection and analysis. It also presents demographic information about the respondents and analyzes data on factors influencing academic performance.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 37

THE EXAMINATION COUNCILO OF ZAMBIA IN ASSOCIATION WITH DAVIVD

LIVIVNGSTONE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS


DIPLOMA RESEARCH REPORT

TOPIC: ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF DIPLOMA BY EXTENSION STUDY


STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY DAVID LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION.

STUDENT NAME: BANDA ELISHA

DALICE NUMBER: 1720194003

EXAM NUMBER: 1740020212

SUB COMB: MATHS/PES

LECTURER: MR SAMWANGALA

YEAR: THIRD YEAR

A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTTED TO DAVID LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE OF


EDUDCATION IN PARTIAL FUFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD
OF THE JUNIOR SECONDARY TEACHERS DIPLOMA.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Despite putting in place measures to help the students in their quest totattain a diploma
through extension studies, this task is still challenging and problematic. For example the un
equal participation of rate between internal and extension study students.There are also
unequal gradudating rates between internal and extension study students and unequal tution
fee rates as well as contact times with the lecturers. This study , therfere , sought to establish
the challenges and problems faced by the implementation of extention study policy on the
college and their possible solutions.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

RThe purpose of the study to make an inquiry into the challenges faced by david livingstone
college of education students in the extention studies
CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter describes procedures and strategies that were used in the implementation of the
proposed study. It covers the research design; study population, sample size and sampling
procedure, research instruments, validity and reliability of the instruments and an outline of
the methods used to collect and analyse data.

3.2 Research design

This study adopted the descriptive survey design which involves asking questions often in the
form of a questionnaire to a large group of individuals either by mail, by telephone or in
person. This design was most suitable for this research because it involves a large group of
students and lecturers and has the advantage of providing a lot of information from a large
sample of individuals.

Creswell (2002) observes that a descriptive research design is used when data is collected to
describe persons, organizations, settings or phenomena. The study aimed at describing the
behaviour of the subjects under study without influencing them in any way and therefore
descriptive survey research design was the most appropriate for this study.

3.3 Target population

The target population is the population that the researcher uses to generalize the findings of
the study (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2003).

3.4 Sample size and sampling procedure

The researcher arrived at a smaller manageable number of students representing the entire
population as outlined in figure. Mugenda and Mugenda (2003) propose that a researcher
should take at least 10% of the total population when the population sampled from is
relatively large and 30% for a relatively smaller population depending on time and resources
available to the researcher. The researcher sampled ten (10) public secondary schools
representing 31.25%. According to the researcher, a population of thirty two (32) schools is a
relatively smaller population. The researcher employed stratified random sampling technique
to identify the actual number of schools in different school categories that were involved in
the study. According to Mugenda & Mugenda (2003), stratified sampling is a probability
sampling technique where the researcher divides the entire population into different
subgroups or strata, then randomly selects the final subjects proportionally to form a random
sample.

3.5 Research instruments

The research instruments were designed based on the objectives of the study. The students‟
questionnaire was administered to form three (3) students in the sample population. The
questionnaire had three (3) main sections. Section one (1) captured students‟ demographic
data while section two (2) captured data on students‟ socio-economic background. Data on
socio-economic background was meant to satisfy objective four (4). Section three (3)
captured data on learning resources and was analyzed to give information relating to
objective one (1).

The questionnaire for lecturerss had four (4) sections. Section one (1) captured teachers‟
demographic data. Section two (2) was designed to gather data on teacher related factors.
This data was intended to satisfy objective three (3). Section three (3) was designed to
capture data on instructional leadership. This data was analyzed to give information on
objective two (2). Section four (4) had been designed to gather data on learning resources and
was meant to capture data on objective one (1).

3.6 Validity of instruments

Validity is the degree to which the empirical measure or several measures of the concept
accurately measure the concept (Kothari, 2008). It is essentially concerned with establishing
whether the questionnaire content is measuring what it purports to measure. For the purpose
of this study the content validity was checked through piloting of research instruments. Three
(3) schools were involved in the pilot study where three (3) principals, twelve (12) teachers
and sixty nine (69) students were included to participate. The three (3) secondary schools
which were used in piloting were not used in the actual study. After the analysis of the
responses, it was necessary to revise and modify some items. The pilot study helped to
improve the face and content validity of the instruments. The researcher also consulted with
the supervisors who gave their expert opinion.
3.7 Reliability of the instruments

According to Mugenda & Mugenda (2003) reliability is a measure of the degree to which a
research instrument yields consistent results or data after repeated trials. Reliability in
research is influenced by random error, of which if it is high, reliability is low and vice versa.
The Pearson‟s Product Moment correlations coefficient formula was used The
questionnaires were subjected to a single test administration for reliability and the following
alpha coefficients were obtained. For students questionnaire, the Cronbach alpa was 0.71,
while that for the teachers it was 0.87 and 0.73 for

the principals. Since these coefficients were more than the required threshold of

0.7. According to Mugenda & Mugenda (2003), the questionnaires were

considered highly reliable for use in data collection.

3.8 Data collection procedures

The researcher, after being authorized to collect data, visited the sampled schools and
introduced himself to the schools management to obtain their consent to administer the
research instruments. On finalizing the administrative arrangements, the researcher proceeded
to administer the instruments and guided the respondents appropriately. Filled in
questionnaires were collected after completion.

3.9 Data analysis techniques

According to Kothari (2008), the most commonly used method in reporting descriptive
survey research is by developing frequency distribution tables, calculating on percentages and
tabulating them appropriately. After receiving the completed questionnaires, the researcher
inspected all of them for completeness, appropriate marking of responses and suitability for
coding. The open ended questions were categorized and coded together with the closed ended
questions and were analyzed thematically.

3.10 Ethical considerations

The researcher first obtained the respondents‟ informed consent before issuing out
questionnaires. Participants were made aware of the type of information the researcher
wanted from them, what purpose it would be used for, how they were expected to participate
in the study, and how it would directly or indirectly affect them. Respondents were also
assured of their rights, including the rights to consent, protection of information, disclosure
and respect for their privacy.
CHAPTER FOUR

DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Introduction

This chapter focused on the questionnaire return rate, analysis, presentation of data collected
from the field and interpretation of the results thereof. In this chapter, data analysis is
presented in line with the study objectives thus: influence of learning resources;
administrative practices; teacher related factors and students‟ socio-economic background on
academic performance of secondary school students in Matungulu sub-county.

4.2 Questionnaire response rate

This study administered ten (10) questionnaires to principals, forty (40) to eachers and 230 to
students. Out of these, all the questionnaires were returned by principals, thirty nine (39)
were returned by teachers and 220 were returned by students. These return rates are
respectively 100 % for principals, 97.5% for teachers and 95.6% for students. According to
Babbie (2010) and Best and Khan

(2011), a response rate of 50% is considered adequate, 60% good and above 70%

very good. Therefore, the response rate from these respondents was considered to

be very good and as such the researcher proceeded to analyze the data as planned.

4.3 Demographic information

The study sought to find out the teachers and principals bio-data by way of age, gender,
professional qualification, and experience of the respondents. The information about this
parameter is presented in sections 4.3.1 through 4.3.4

4.3.1 Gender of teachers and principals

Tables 4.1 shows the distribution in terms of gender of teachers, and principals as

shown below

Table 4.1: Gender of respondents (teachers & principals)

.
4.3.2 Age of the respondents

This study further sought to establish the age distribution of teachers and

principals. Analysis of this parameter is as shown in Tables 4.2

Table 4.4: Professional qualification (teachers and principals) Teachers qualification


Principals qualification Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Certificate 1 2.6 Diploma
(D.Ed) 4 10.3 1 10.0 Degree( B.Ed) 31 79.5 4 40.0 Masters ( M.Ed) 3 7.7 5 50.0 Total 39
100.0 10 100.0

Table 4.4 shows the distribution of teachers and principals in terms of their

professional qualification. It can be observed that majority of the teachers are

4.3.5 Gender of students The gender distribution among the form three students who
constituted the sample is as shown in Table 4.5 below

4.3.6 Age of students The age distribution among students is as shown in Table 4.6

Table 4.6: Distribution of age among students

are between the ages of 16-19 years while about 3.7% can be considered underage

and the rest (4.5%) are considered overage.

4.3.8 Overall mean grade in term I, 2016

Further to the KCPE mark, the study sought to find out the performance of these

students in form three. They were asked to indicate the overall mean grade score

for first term of the year 2016. Analysis of this aspect is as shown in Table 4.8.

Table 4.8: Overall mean grades in term I, 2016

4.4 Analysis in relation to objectives of the study

This study was predicated on four objectives thus: to establish the Influence of

learning resources on students‟ academic performance in public secondary


schools in Matungulu sub-county; to assess the influence of administrative

practices on students‟ academic performance in public secondary schools in

Matungulu sub-county; to investigate the influence of teacher related factors on

students‟ academic performance in public secondary schools in Matungulu sub-

county and to analyze the influence of socio-economic background on students‟

academic performance in public secondary schools in Matungulu sub-county.

The following sections relate to the analysis of the findings in relation to the

themes as espoused in the objectives that guided the study. These include learning

resources, administrative practices, teacher factors and socio-economic factors

and academic performance. The last section dealt with test of hypotheses that

were formulated for the study

4. 4.1: Influence of learning resources on students’ academic performance The first objective
sought to establish the Influence of learning resources on students‟ academic performance in
public secondary schools in Matungulu sub-county. All the respondents (teachers, principals
and students) were subjected to

52

the same type of questions which were measured on an ordinal scale and

calibrated on a five point categorical scale whereby 1 represented strongly

disagree, 2= disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree and 5 = strongly agree. The analysis

with respect to each of the respondents is as shown in Tables 4.9 and Table 4.10

Table 4.9: Influence of learning resources on students’ academic performance (teachers view)

Learning Resources
Mean Std. Deviation The students always have the textbooks required 3.90 .995 Students are
overcrowded in the classroom 2.79 1.151 The school has a library 2.23 1.202 The school has
enough laboratories 2.44 1.294 Students always gets the required books in the library 2.28
1.099 The classrooms and laboratories have adequate equipment and materials 2.54 1.253
The classrooms are well ventilated and always clean 3.49 .970 Teachers have the required
and sufficient teaching aids 3.51 .970 The computer lab is well equipped 2.36 1.530 Teachers
were asked a variety of questions of which they were supposed to state

their views on a scale of 1-5 where 1 represented strong level of disagreement and

5 represented strong level of agreement to the statement. Analysis of their views

in respect to the statements in the questionnaire is as shown in Table 4.9.

CHAPTER FIVE

STUDY SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


5.1 SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

This study aimed at investigating the factors influencing students‟ academic

performance in public secondary schools in Matungulu sub-county, Machakos

County. The study was guided by four objectives thus: to establish the influence

of learning resources on students‟ academic performances in public secondary

schools in Matungulu sub-county; to assess the influence of administrative

practices on students‟ academic performance in public secondary schools in

Matungulu sub-county; to investigate the influence of teacher related factors on

students‟ academic performance in public secondary schools in Matungulu sub-

county; and to analyze the influence of students socio-economic background on

their academic performance in public secondary schools in Matungulu sub-

county. Upon analyzing the collected data, the following are the study‟s major

findings:

5.1.1 Influence of learning resources on students’ academic performance

Learning resources play a vital role in influencing academic performance of

learners. This study found that learning resources were not adequate as seen from

the view point of the respondents. In particular the students disagreed to most

statements such as the school has a library (mean = 1.83); the computer lab is well

equipped (mean = 1.97) and that the students always get the required books in the

library (mean = 1.85). Similar views were expressed by both teachers and the

76

principals alike. Overall, from the study findings, the supply and provisioning of
the learning resources in the study area were found to be inadequate, implying

that academic performance of learners was likely to be affected negatively.

5.1.2 Influence of administrative practices on students’ academic

performance

Some of the administrative practices which principals perform include checking

teachers lesson notes, records and schemes of work (mean = 4.50); and evaluating

teachers performance (mean = 4.80). They also include supervising teachers to

ensure completion of syllabus on time (mean = 5.00), and holding regular

meetings with teachers to update them on performance (mean = 4.80). In addition,

the principals always do purchasing and maintenance of teaching and learning

materials and make decisions on staff development activities among others. From

the analysis, the study found out that there was a very strong positive relationship

between administrative practices and academic performance ( r = R = .841) and

the coefficient of determination expressed by R square value of .708 shows that

administrative practices accounted to nearly 71% of the total variance in academic

performance.

5.1.3 Influence of teacher related factors on students’ academic

performance

This study found out that teacher satisfaction (mean = 4.28); teacher qualification

(mean = 4.08); heavy work load by the teacher (mean = 4.15) and opportunities

for career development (mean =4.13) influenced academic performance to a great

77
extent. On the other hand, teacher absenteeism influenced academic performance

to a moderate extent. Overall there was a strong positive relationship between

teacher related factors and academic performance. The R square value of .474

also shows that teacher related factors accounted to nearly 48 % of the total

variance in academic performance.

5.1.4 Influence of Students’ socio-economic background on academic

performance

The study found that socio-economic factors affected performance to a great

extent. In particular the effect of learner with step parents was greater (mean =

4.60), followed by learner with both parents working (mean = 4.40) and learner

with both parents and not working (mean = 4.40) and finally learner with few

siblings (mean = 4.10). This implies that the conditions surrounding the learner

from the family setting are very critical in influencing the performance of the

learner. Consequently, there was a strong positive relationship between socio-

economic background of the learner and academic performance (r=R= .688). The

R square value of .474 also shows that socio-economic background of the learner

accounted to nearly 47 % of the total variance in academic performance

5.2 Conclusions of the study

In this study, the factors that were being investigated include learning resources,

administrative practices and socio-economic background of the learner. In view of

the findings, the conclusions were made as shown below.

78
5.2.1 Influence of learning resources on students’ academic performance

This study found that the supply and provisioning of the learning resources in the

study area was inadequate. Since learning resources are critical determinant of

performance, the inadequacy of these materials in the study area is likely to affect

academic performance to a great extent. It can therefore be concluded that

unavailability of learning resources affect performance negatively while their

adequacy and availability will positively affect students‟ academic performance to

a great extent.

5.2.2 Influence of administrative practices on students’ academic

performance

This study found a strong positive and significant relationship between academic

performance and administrative practices by the principals. This therefore implies

that academic performance and administrative practices are statistically

dependent. Thus a conclusion was made to the effect that academic performance

of learners is highly predicated on administrative practices. This means that if the

principal is highly engaged in supervision of teachers, checking professional

records and coordinating school activities, then the academic performance will

greatly improve.

5.2.3 Influence of teacher related factors on students’ academic performance

This study found that teacher related factors were positively related to academic

performance. In particular teacher satisfaction levels, qualification and work load

were critical in determining the performance of the learner. Also teacher related
79

factors were found to be statistically significantly related to academic

performance. It was therefore concluded that teacher related factors and students‟

academic performance are statistically dependent. This implies that teachers‟

satisfaction, work load and qualification are critical in influencing learner

performance. Highly satisfied teachers with higher qualification and a reasonable

work load play a critical role in improvement of school performance. Teacher

absenteeism was however found not to be very significant.

5.2.4 Influence of students’ socio-economic background on academic

performance

Finally, socio-economic factors were found to be significant in influencing

academic performance of the learners. It was therefore concluded that socio-

economic background of the learner and academic performance are statistically

dependent. This implies that the environment where a child hails from plays an

integral role in performance improvement, and that good performance can be

predicated on the social and economic background of the learners

5.4 Recommendations

Since learning resources play a vital role in enhancing performance of the

learners, the study recommended a need for all stakeholders to ensure schools are

stocked with relevant and adequate learning materials if academic performance is

to be improved. In particular, head teachers and the school management should

ensure that relevant materials are procured for use by both the students and

teachers. Also parents can be asked to support the initiative through buying
80

textbooks for their children to ease the burden of the schools in availing the

relevant study materials to learners.

Principals should intensify the routine checking of professional records by

teachers to ensure adherence to the dictates of the professional records. This effort

must be supported by the quality assurance officers from the Ministry of

Education who should be doing external quality reviews on a regular basis.

Efforts to remunerate teachers properly in order for them to be satisfied and

motivated to work should be encouraged. In this endeavor, the Teachers Service

Commission (TSC) should ensure that terms of teachers pay are improved to

enhance their morale. Equally, principals must institute internal mechanisms of

motivating teachers like rewarding top academic achievers and organizing

capacity building seminars for teachers with an aim of improving satisfaction

levels among them.

5.5 Suggestions for further study

1. A similar study can be replicated in other counties to find out if the same

factors investigated in this study influence academic performance of the

learners.

2. A study should be done to establish the factors that contribute to a greater

extent to academic performance among learners.

81
REFERENCES Adeyemo, D. (2005). Paternal involvement interest in schooling and school
environment as predictions of academic self-efficacy among fresh secondary school students
in Oyo State, Nigeria. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 5-3.

Ainley, J., Brian, G., Long, M. & Batten, M. (1995). Socio-economic status and school
education. Canberra. DEET / ACER

Alokan, B. F., Osakinle, O. E. & Onijingin, O. E. (2013). The influence of parents‟


education background and study facilities on academic performance among secondary
school students. Ozean Journal of Social Science 6(2):27-33.

Amram, O., Abernethy, R., Brauer, M., Davies, H., & Allen, R. W. (2011). Proximity of
public elementary schools to major roads in Canadian urban areas. International Journal of
Health Geographics, 10, 68. doi: 10.1186/1476-072x-10-68

Andersen, S. (1999). The relationship between school design variables and scores on the
Iowa test of basic skills. Georgia. University of Georgia.

APHRC. (2015). Are our children learning? Nairobi. World Bank.

Ayres, P. (1999). Exploring the relationship between high school facilities and achievement
of high school students in Georgia. Athens, GA. University of Georgia.

Babbie.E.R (2010) The practice of social research. Belmont, Calif: wadsworth


Cengage,Chicago

Balunywa, W. (2000). A handbook of business management. Kampala: Uganda Press.

Berk, L. (1997). Child development. (4th edn). Massachusetts. Allyn and Bacon.

Barro, R. (1991). Economic growth in a cross-section of countries. Quarterly Journals of


Economics, 106(2), 407-443

Best, Khan.V (2011) Research methods in education. Prentice hall pvt. New Delhi

Bossert S., Dwyer D., Rowan B. & Lee, G. (1982). The instructional management role of
the principal. Educational Administration Quarterly, 6, 34 – 64.

82
Cantu, I.S. (1975). The effect of family characteristics, parental influence, language spoken,
school experience and self-motivation on the level of educational attainment of Mexican
Americans. Michigan. University of Michigan.

Cash, C. (1993). A study of the relationship between school building condition and student
achievement and behavior. Virginia. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Cole, G. (2002). Personnel and human resource management. (5th Ed). London: Guildford
and kings Lynn

Considine, G. & Zappala, G. (2002). Factors influencing the educational performance of


students from disadvantaged backgrounds. in T. Eardley and B. Bradbury, eds, Competing
Visions: Refereed Proceedings of the National Social Policy Conference 2001, SPRC
Report 1/02, Social Policy Research Centre. Sydney. University of New South Wales.

Creamer, B. (1994). The effective classroom. London: Cassel.

Creswell, J. W. (2002). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method


approaches. New York. Sage Publications.

Crosnoe, R., Monica, K. J. & Glen, H. (2004). School size and the interpersonal side of
education: An examination of race / ethnicity and organizational context. Social Sciences
Quarterly, 85(5), 1259-1274.

Daggett, W. R. (2005). Successful schools: From research to action plans: Paper presented at
June 2005 Model Schools Conference. New York. International Center for Leadership in
Educationa.

David, W. I. (2007). Education psychology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.

Eamon, M. K. (2005). Social-demographic, school, neighbourhood and parenting influences


on academic achievement of Latino young adolescents. Journals of Youth and Adolescence,
34(2), 163-175.

Earthman, G. I. & Lemasters, L. (1996). Review of research on the relationship between


school buildings, student achievement and student behaviour. Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the council of Educational Facility Planners International. Tarpon Springs.
Retrieved from the ERIC database. (ED416666)
83

Earthman, G. I. (2002). School facility conditions and student academic achievement. New
York. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Edmonds, R. R. (1981). Search for effective schools. East Lansing, MI. The Institute for
Research on Teaching, College of Education, Michigan State University.

Ekundayo, H. T. (n.d). School facilities as correlates of students‟ achievement in the


affective and psychomotor domains of learning. European Scientific Journal, March edition
vol. 8, No.6: ISSN 1857- 7431

European Union Monitoring Report (2013). Students‟ performance and parents‟ education
level. Retrieved from http://www.socialsituation.eu

Eshiwani, G. S. (1983). Factors influencing performance among primary and secondary


school pupils in western Kenya province. A policy study. Nairobi. Kenyatta University.

Gura, O. E. (2015). The effects of Kenya’s subsidized education program on access,


retention, equity and quality: A case study of Nyakach Sub- county, Kisumu County.
Nairobi. Kenyatta University.

Hochschild, J. L. (2003). Social class in public schools. Journal of social issues Vol.59,
No.4, pp.821-840.

Hoy, A. W., and W. K. Hoy. (2009). Instructional leadership: A research-based guide to


learning in schools. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Jeynes, W. H. (2002). Examining the effects of parental absence on the academic


achievement of adolescents: the challenge of controlling for family income. Journal of
family and economic issues 23(2).

Kathuri, M. J. (1986). Factors that influence the performance of pupils in CPE: KERA
research report. Nairobi: Kenyatta University, Bureau of Educational Research.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Population and housing census report.
Government Printer. Nairobi. Kenya
Kigotho, W. (2012, March 5). District schools register poor performance in KCSE exams.
The Standard Newspaper.

Kimani, N. G., Kara, M. A., Njagi, W. L. (2013). Teacher factors influencing students‟
academic performance in secondary schools in Kenya.

84

International Journal of Education and Research: Vol. 1 No. 3

Kirk, D. J. & Jones, T. L. (2004). Effective schools assessment report, San Antonio, TX.
Pearson Education.

Kothari, C.R. (2008). Research methodology: methods and techniques, (2nd Ed). New Delhi.
New Age International (P) Publishers.

Lackney, J. (1999). Assessing school facilities for learning / assessing the impact of the
physical environment on educational process. Mississippi. Mississippi Design Institute.

Lemaster L. K. (1997). A synthesis of studies pertaining to faculties, student achievement


and student behaviour. Virginia Polytechnic and State University. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation. Retrieved from the ERIC database. (ED447687)

Lezotte, L. (1991). Correlates of effective schools: The first and second generation. Okemos,
MI: Effective Schools Products, Ltd.

Lezotte, L. W., Skaife, R. D. and Holstead, M. D. (2002). Effective schools – only you can
make a difference. Mississippi. All Star Publishing.

Lezotte, L. W. (2010). What effective schools do: Re-envisioning the correlates.


Indianapolis, IN. Solution Tree.

Macneil, A. (1992). Principal instructional management and its relation to teacher job
satisfaction. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
Retrieved from ERIC database. (9239066)

Maicibi, N. A. (2003). Pertinent issues in the employees management . Kampala. M.P.K.


Graphics Ltd.
Makewa, N. L., Role, E. & Otewa, F. (2010). Parental factors affecting academic
achievement of grade six pupils in Kisumu City, Kenya. International Journal of Asian Social
Science 2(11):1984-1997

Maundu, J. N. (1980). A study of the relationship between Kenyan Secondary School Pupils’
performance need to achieve and their performance in school subjects. Nairobi. University of
Nairobi.

Morakinyo, A. (2003). Relativee efficiency of systematic decentralization, self statement


monitoring and flooding on subjects test anxiety. Ibadan. University of Ibadan.

85

Mugenda, O. M. and Mugenda, A.G. (2003). Research methods: Quantitative and


qualitative Approaches. Nairobi. Acts Press.

Mukherjee, D. (1995). The Relationship between socio-economic background and


participation in education. Darlinghurst. ACCE Research monograph.

Mwaura, G. P. (2014). Home-Based Factors Influencing students’ Performance in KCSE in


Public Day Secondary Schools in Lari District, Kiambu County. Nairobi. University of
Nairobi.

Mworia, R. N. (1993). Performance in KCPE examinations: A case study of Central Imenti


Division in Meru District. Nairobi: University of Nairobi.

Ndirangu, P. (2007). An investigation of the relationship between test anxiety and academic
performance in secondary schools in Nyeri district, Kenya. Nakuru. Egerton University.

Ngware, M. (2015, April 17). Teacher absenteeism: The hidden facts. Daily Nation
Newspaper.

Njuguna, B. W. (2011). The extent, causes, and effects of students’ absenteeism on academic
performance in public day secondary schools in Nairobi Province. Nairobi. Kenyatta
University.

Nyagosia, O. P. (2011). Determinants of differential Kenya certificate of secondary


education performance and school effectiveness in Kenya. Nairobi. Kenyatta University.
Ogunsola, K. O., Osuolale, A. K. & Ojo, O. A. (2014). Parental and related factors affecting
students‟ academic achievement in Oyo State, Nigeria. International Journal of Social,
Behavioral, Educational, Economic and Management Engineering Vol. 8, No:9

Ogoye, H. (2007). Parental participation in pupils' homework in Kenya: In search of an


inclusive policy. Nairobi: Act press.

Okoye, N. S. (1998). Factors affecting teaching and learning. The teacher, subject matter and
environment dimension in Ughamadu. Abuja. KMENSUD Educational Publishers.

O‟Neill, David, J. (2000). The impact of school facilities on student achievement, behavior,
attendance, and teacher turnover rate in Central Texas middle schools. Texas. A&M
University.

86

Osman. (1989). Poor performance in KCPE in North Eastern Province. A case study based
on some schools in Wajir and Garissa Districts. Nairobi. Kenyatta University.

Pearson, H. (1988). The teaching of language skills: listening, reading writing. Nairobi:
Oxford University Press.

Rafiq, W. M. H., Fatima, T., Sohail, M. M., Saleem, M. & Khan, A. M. (2013). Parental
involvement and academic achievement; A study on secondary school students of Lahore,
Pakistan. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 8

Reche, N. G., Bundi, K. T., Riungu, N. J., Mbugua, K. Z. (2012). Factors contributing to
poor performance in Kenya certificate of primary education in public primary schools in
Kenya. International Journal of Education and Research: Vol 2 No. 5.

Reid, N. (1987). Elementary school Principals' behaviors in an urban school improvement


program: a descriptive study of five Principals. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Temple
University, Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved from ERIC Database (ED8920293)

Republic of Kenya, (2010). The constitution, Nairobi, Government printer


Scheerens, J. and Bosker, R. (1997). The foundations of educational effectiveness. New
York. Elsevier.

Schneider, M. (2002). Do school facilities affect academic outcomes? National Clearing


House for educational facilities. Washington D.C. Retrieved from ERIC database
(ED470979)

Shonkoff, J. P. & Phillips, D. A. (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of


Early Childhood Development. Washington DC. National Academy Press. Siringi, S. (2015,
March 5). Shame of national schools stuck in „D‟ league. Daily Nation Newspaper.

Simiyu, & Simuyu, P.C. (2002). Student’s performance in CRE, KCSE and attitudes towards
CRE in Lelan Division, West Pokot District. Nairobi. University of Nairobi.

Smith, J. & Tomlison, A. (1989). The school effect, Policy Studies Institute. London. Oxford
University.

Soft Kenya. (2016). KCSE Results 2014 Released. Retrieved On Tuesday 12th, 2016 from
http://softkenya.com/academic/academic-results

87

Sparkes, J. (1999). Schools, Education and social exclusion, Case Paper 29, Centre for
Analysis of Social Exclusion. London: London School of Economics.

Sullivan, S., and Glanz, J. (2000). Supervision that improves teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Corwin Press.

Ubogu, R. E, (2004). The causes of absenteeism and dropout among secondary school
students in Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State. Abraka. Delta State University.

UNESCO. (1991). Strengthening educational research in developing countries: Stockholm


University. Paris: Institute of International Education.

UNESCO. (2015). Education for all 2000-2015: Challenges and opportunities. Paris. Place
de Fontenoy.

UNICEF. (2011). The state of worlds children. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org


United Nations Development Program. (2003). Human development report: millennium
development goals; A compact among nations to end poverty. New York. Oxford University
Press.

United Nations. (2015). Millenium development goals report: retrieved from


http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2015_MDG_Report/pdf/MDG%2020 15%20rev%20
%28July%201%29.pdf

Wammula, A. J. (2013). factors influencing academic performance in Kenya certificate of


secondary education examinations in private schools in Kenya: Nairobi. University of
Nairobi.

Watkins, P. (1992). Instructional leadership in relation to classroom environment, student


enrollment, removal, and completion within LDS released-time seminaries. Unpublished
doctoral dissertation, University of the Pacific. Retrieved from ERIC database (9303164)

Wilson, C. (2005). Principal leadership, school climate and the distribution of leadership
within the school community. Missoula MT. University of Montana.

World Bank. (1987). School and classroom effects on student learning in Thailand.
Washington DC. Author.

World Bank. (2015). The global monitoring report. Washington DC. Author.

88

APPENDICES

APPENDIX I:

LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

SOUTH EASTERN KENYA UNIVERSITY P.O. BOX 170-90100 KITUI.

Dear Respondent,

RE: PERMISSION TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN YOUR INSTITUTION I am a post


graduate student in South Eastern Kenya University conducting a
study on: An investigation into factors influencing students’ academic

performance in public secondary schools in Matungulu sub-county,

Machakos county. The study is for the purposes of a research project, a

requirement for the award of a degree of Master of Education.

I kindly request you to fill the attached questionnaire for me.

The information that you will provide will be useful to the study, will be treated in

confidence and you will not be referred to by name in the report.

Your assistance is highly appreciated.

Yours faithfully,

John Mbithi Kieti

M.ED Student.

89

APPENDIX II

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

Introduction.

This questionnaire is designed to collect data for academic study, a requirement

for award of Master of Education degree in Educational Administration and

Planning. The study seeks to investigate factors influencing academic

performance of students in public secondary schools in Matungulu Sub-county,

Machakos County. All information will be treated in confidentially.

Section I: Bio Data

Kindly tick in the brackets against that which is applicable to you


1. What is your gender? Male ( ) Female ( )

2. In which age category do you belong?

Below 25 years ( ) 26 – 34 ( ) 35 – 44 ( ) 45 – 54 ( ) Above 55 ( )

3. How many years have you been a school head?

Below 5 years ( ) 6 to 10 years ( ) 11 to 15 years ( ) Above 16 years ( )

4. How many years have you headed the current school?

Below 5 years ( ) 6 to 10 years ( ) 11 to 15 years ( ) Above 16 years ( )

5. What is your level of professional qualification?

Certificate in teaching e.g P1 ( ) Diploma [D.Ed] ( ) Degree [B.Ed] ( )

Masters [M.Ed] ( ) PhD [Edu] ( )

Section II: Administrative practices

6. In the tables below, indicate the extent of your level of agreement on what you

90

do in your school.

A – Always, S – Sometimes, NT – Neutral, R – Rarely, N - Never.

Statement A S NT R N

1. Checking teachers lesson notes, Records of work with schemes.

2. Evaluate performance of teachers

3. Checking teachers punctuality in Classroom


4. Encourage teachers to benchmark/ visit other schools and learn from colleagues

5. Supervising teachers to ensure they complete the syllabus on time

6. Holding regular meetings with teachers to check on performance update

7. Involving teachers to decide on best strategies to improve teaching and learning

8. Purchasing and maintaining teaching and learning materials

9. Makes decision on who to admit in the school ( cut off points)

10. Makes decisions on staff development activities

11. Building teamwork among teachers to ensure they support one another

91

Section III: Learning resources

7. Kindly indicate your level of agreement with respect to the following learning

resources in your school.

SA – Strongly Agree, A – Agree, N – Neutral, D – Disagree,

SD – Strongly Disagree.
SA A N D SD

(a) The students always have the textbooks required

(b) Students are overcrowded in the classroom

(c) The school has a library

(d) The school has enough laboratories

(e) Students always gets the required books in the library

(f) The classrooms, laboratories have adequate equipment and materials

(g) The classrooms are well ventilated and always clean

(h) Teachers have the required and sufficient teaching aids

(i) The computer lab is well equipped

92

Section IV: Teacher related factors

8. Please indicate the extent to which the following teacher related factors affect

academic performance in your school

Great Extent Moderate Extent

Neutral Small Extent No extent at all

Teacher satisfaction
Teacher qualification

Teacher absenteeism

Heavy work load by the teacher

Opportunities for career development

Section V: Socio-economic factors

9. Please rate your opinion regarding the effect the following factors have on

academic performance of the learner.

Great effect

Moderate effect

Neutral Small effect

No effect

Learner with both parent working

Learner with parents not working

Learner with many siblings Learner with few siblings Learner with step parents

93
10. Please indicate the extent to which the following factors influence academic

performance

Great Extent Moderate Extent

Neutral

Small Extent No extent at all

Administrative practices

Teacher related factors

Socio- economic background of the learner

Learning resources

Thank you very much for taking your time to fill this questionnaire

94

APPENDIX III

TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE

Introduction. This questionnaire is designed to collect data for academic study, a requirement

for award of Master of Education degree in Educational Administration and

Planning. The study seeks to investigate factors influencing academic

performance of students in public secondary schools in Matungulu Sub-county,

Machakos County. All information will be treated with in confidentially.


Section I: Bio Data Kindly tick in the brackets against that which is applicable to you

1. What is your gender? Male ( ) Female ( )

2. In which age category do you belong?

Below 25 ( ) 26 – 34 ( ) 35 – 44 ( ) 45– 54 ( )

Above 55 ( )

3. How many years have you been a high school teacher?

Below 5 years ( ) 6 to 10 years ( ) 11 to 15 years ( )

above 16 years ( )

4. What is your level of education? Certificate ( ) Diploma ( ) Degree ( ) Masters


( ) PhD ( ) 5. Are you trained as a teacher? Yes ( ) No ( ) If no, please specify the
field of study -------------------------------------------------

95

Section II: Teacher related factors 6. Have you participated in any professional workshop/
seminar in service course in the last?

a) 0 – 2 years ( ) b) 3 – 5 years ( ) c) 5 years and above ( )

8. Do you miss to attend school? Yes ( ) No ( ) 9. How many times do you miss school in a
school term ……………………. 10. Do you miss to attend class while you are in school?
Yes ( ) No ( ) 11. State four major reasons which contributes to your absenteeism from
school i. ii. iii. iv. 12. State four major reasons which contributes to your absenteeism from
class i. ii. iii. iv. 13. Are you satisfied with your current job as a teacher? Yes ( ) No ( ) 14.
To what extent are you satisfied with your current job? To large extent ( ) To a moderate
extent ( ) To a small extent ( ) Not satisfied at all ( ) 14. If offered another job would you
prefer to quit your current job? Yes ( ) No (

15. List four motivating and four demotivating factors of your current job
96

Motivating factors Demotivating factors 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4.

16. The average number of lessons a teacher has per week 15 and below ( ) 16 to 25 ( )
26 to 35 ( ) 36 and above ( )

17. Please indicate the extent to which the following teacher related factors affect

academic performance in your school

Great Extent Moderate Extent

Neutral

Small Extent No extent at all

Teacher satisfaction

Teacher qualification

Teacher absenteeism

Heavy work load by the teacher

Opportunities for career development

Section III: Administrative practices 18. In the table below, indicate the extent to which your
school principal engages

in the activities provided. Use the scale below to respond.

A – Always, S – Sometimes, NT – Neutral, R – Rarely, N – Never


97

Statement A S NT R N

1. Checking teachers lesson notes, Records of work with schemes.

2. Evaluate performance of teachers

3. Checking teachers punctuality in Classroom

4. Encourage teachers to benchmark/ visit other schools and learn from colleagues

5. Supervising teachers to ensure they complete the syllabus on time

6. Holding regular meetings with teachers to check on performance update

7. Involving teachers to decide on best strategies to improve teaching and learning

8. Purchasing and maintaining teaching and learning materials

9. Makes decision on who to admit in the school ( cut off points)

10. Makes decisions on staff development activities

11. Building teamwork among teachers to ensure they support one another
Section IV: Learning resources

19. Kindly indicate your level of agreement with respect to the following learning

resources in your school.

SA – Strongly Agree, A – Agree, N – Neutral, D – Disagree,

98

SD – Strongly Disagree.

SA A N D SD

(a) The students always have the textbooks required

(b) Students are overcrowded in the classroom

(c) The school has a library

(d) The school has enough laboratories

(e) Students always gets the required books in the library

(f) The classrooms, laboratories have adequate equipment and materials

(g) The classrooms are well ventilated and always clean

(h) Teachers have the required and sufficient teaching aids

(i) The computer lab is well equipped


Thank you very much for taking your time to fill this questionnaire

99

APPENDIX IV

STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE This questionnaire is designed to gather general


information about you and your

school for use in a academic research study. The response to the questionnaire

will be treated with utmost confidentiality. Do not put your name or identification

on this questionnaire.

Section I: Bio Data

The questions in this section are designed to obtain personal information from

you. Please answer each question by ticking (√) in the appropriate box.

1. Gender: Male: ( ) Female: ( )

2. Indicate the class/form you study: ( )

3. Indicate your age ( )

4. K.C.P.E marks: 200 and less: ( ) 201-300: ( )

301-400: ( ) 401-500: ( )

5. Sat KCPE Examination in: Private school: ( ) Public school: ( )

6. Indicate your term one (2016) overall mean grade range (e.g A, A-, B- etc)

-------------------------------------------- points.....................

SECTION II: Socio-economic background 7. How many brothers and sisters (siblings) do
you have?

None: ( )
1- 2: ( )

3- 4: ( )

5 and above: ( )

100

8. I come from a

i. Single parent family ( )

ii. Step-father family ( )

iii. Step mother family ( )

iv. Nuclear family ( )

9. Respond to the following statements

i. Who meets costs related to your education?

Your father ( ) Your mother ( ) Guardian ( )

Other(s) state -----------------------------

ii. What can you say about the person you have indicated about his education and

profession?

a. Level of education

Primary ( ) Secondary ( ) College ( )

University ( )

b. He/she is

Employed ( ) In self-employment ( ) Not employed ( )

Section III: Learning resources 10. Kindly indicate your level of agreement with respect to
the following learning
resources in your school.

SA – Strongly Agree, A – Agree, N – Neutral, D – Disagree,

SD – Strongly Disagree.

101

SA A N D SD

(a) The students always have the textbooks required

(b) Students are overcrowded in the classroom

(c) The school has a library

(d) The school has enough laboratories

(e) Students always gets the required books in the library

(f) The classrooms, laboratories have adequate equipment and materials

(g) The classrooms are well ventilated and always clean

(h) Teachers have the required and sufficient teaching aids

(i) The computer lab is well equipped

You might also like