Institutional factors influencing students’ performance in kenya certificate of secondary education in public schools in Lari district, Kiambu county, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate how the institutional factors influence the students’ performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in Lari District. The study was guided by the following five objectives; to determine the extent to which the management of Free Secondary Education(FSE) fund affects the student’ performance, to establish the relationship between the provision of the institutions’ physical facilities and the students’ performance, to determine how the provision of instructional materials affects the students’ performance, to assess the contribution of the teacher pupil ratio to the students’ performance and to establish how the inservicing of the teachers affects the students’ performance. The study employed descriptive survey design and the target population consisted of 1 District Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (DQA&SO), 38 headteachers and 432 teachers of the public secondary school in Lari District. A sample of 1 DQA&SO 20 headteachers and 220 teachers was taken using stratified random sampling technique. Three sets of questionnaires and an interview schedule were used as the research instruments. To determine the validity of the research instruments, the researcher first had the instruments appraised by the supervisors and then they were tested through a pilot study of two schools from the neighboring Githunguri District. To determine the reliability of the instrument, the researcher used the test-retest method and then computed the two scores using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) formula. The correlation Coefficient for both the headteachers and the teachers were found to be reliable for the study. The researcher sought for permission from the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST). She then visited the Lari District Education Office for permission and thereafter proceeded to the schools where she administered the questionnaires in person. The researcher used descriptive statistics to analyse the quantitive data while qualitative data was reported through narrative. The study’s findings were; many of the schools’ Board of Management (BoM) members are not trained in financial management, the headteachers are inadequately inserviced in financial management, many of the schools have inadequate facilities and resources and many of the teachers are not able to enhance their professional skills. The study made the following recommendation; the Ministry of Education (MoE) should ensure that all the schools’ managers are equipped with adequate financial management skills, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should ensure the public schools are adequately staffed, the schools’ BoMs and Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs) should explore on ways of expanding the institutions’ facilities and resources