Influence of school culture on Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education performance of public schools in Makadara district, Nairobi county - Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of school culture on students’ performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Makadara District Nairobi, County, Kenya. In particular, this study sought to establish answers to four main questions: to what extent does schools ceremonies influence KCSE performance of secondary schools Makadara District? What is the effect of artifacts on KCSE performance of secondary schools in Makadara District? What is the effect of school rituals on KCSE performance in secondary schools in Makadara District? In addition, what is the contribution of school values on KCSE performance in secondary schools in Makadara District? This study adopted a descriptive research design. The population of the study consisted of 326 teachers of public secondary schools in Makadara District, Nairobi County in Kenya. A permit was obtained from National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation to collect data. A list of all teachers in 10 public schools in Makadara District drawn from the Makadara DEOs office was used and in each school, a list of teachers from the deputy head teacher’s office formed the sample frame. Stratified sampling technique was used to select a 50% sample from the total population size which resulted into 158 teachers and 10 head teachers. Data was collected by means of questionnaires. Quantitative data were analyzed using chi square tests. The results were presented mainly by use of frequency distribution tables, percentages and bar charts. Based on the findings of this study, it was observed that school ceremonies have significantly contributed to the schools’ performance in KCSE. The study also established that school artifacts had a significant effect on academic performance. It was also found out that school rituals affected academic performance at KCSE. In analyzing the relationship between school values and academic performance in KCSE, the study concluded that school values affected KCSE performance. As a result of the findings of this study, it was recommended that school ceremonies like closing day, academic day, prize giving day and opening day should be held regularly. School artifacts such as school uniform, badge, vision, motto, buildings and other symbols in the school should be upheld. School rituals like battle preparation, initiation, school improvement, rituals of passage and greeting rituals should be encouraged since they had a positive effect on school performance in KCSE. That School values should be inculcated through school songs or anthems, mission statement, written and unwritten rules and extra work. Despite of these recommendations, the study recognized the need for further research. Other Districts need to be researched so that the results can be compared, since the focus of this study was only one District. More so, there are other factors, such as the influence of stories on academic performance, as well as the influence of school traditions on academic performance need to be researched.