Factors influencing learning at lower primary level in Machakos District

Abstract

In recent years, a great deal of concern has been voiced allover the world over the lopsided development in~education in which quality in education has fallen casualty to quantitative linear expansion. A look at educational statistics shows spectacular lncreases in the number of children participating In education. A look at the same statistics shows a sharp decline in the proportion of the pupils who complete any prescribed

course of studies indicating rising failure and drop-out rates. These two measures of educational participation are available for all to see. What is not available and yet is even more important is the quality of education that is given and received by those who participate in the educational process. This aspect of expanslon is much more difficult to mea~ure because it is less tangible, its results being visible years after the event. It is the apparent deterioration of quality in education that has occupied the minds of the educationists of the 1970s. ~ The purpose of this study was to isolate some of the

factors that are said to influence the quality of education and attempt to measure the degree of their influence. The factors that were considered in this study are (a) The teacher; his professional qualification and experience and (b) The size of the class in which the pupil learned. In addition to these two factors four sub+f'act.or-swere analysed for the purpose of demonstrating the wide and varying nature of the factors that are at play in the educational process. In al~ seven factors were cons~ered. , The main source of data was a test administered to

Standard { pupils in selected s,choolsin Machakos District. Further data was obtained through questionnaires to school heads and Standard 2 teachers in the selected schools. These data we~' analysed using two different statistical methods; (1)

The Simple Analysis of Variance and (2) Multiple Correlation Apaly'sis.

The maJor findings of the'study were:-

(viii)

(1) That teacher profe~sional qualification was important as a determinant of pupil academic performance. (2) That there was an inverse relationship between pupil

academic performance and the size of the class in which they learned. (3) That teacher experience had little effect on pupil

academic performance. (4) That class size, teacher professional qualification and teacher experience had a greater effect on pupil performance in language than in number work.

Based on the findings of the study it was recommended

that:-

(1) Research instruments which are relevant to Kenya should be developed. (2) More intensive and extensive research into the quality aspect of educational expansion ~hould be undertaken. (3) The primary school curriculum should be revised to

emphasize the 'desirable' changes in the affective domain of development in the young children. (4) The educational authorities should strive to maintain a

reasonable class size. It was found in this study that the pupils In classes larger than 40 had the poorest performance .