Determinants of Academic Performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Public Secondary Schools in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

this article sought to investigate the determinants of academic performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (KCSE) in public secondary schools in Kiambu County, Kenya. Four research questions were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted the ex-post-facto research design. Simple stratified random sampling techniques were used to select the sample; 260 teachers, 246 students, 36 principals and the County Director of Education (CDEO) Kiambu County. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires for students and teachers, while interview schedule was used to collect data from the principals and the County Director of Education.

The findings revealed that, majority of the teachers (72.8%) did not use apparatus in the teaching of science subjects while 55.6% of the students felt that their science laboratories were not well equipped. From the study, 55.7% of the schools had no libraries and where they existed, they were poorly equipped. lecture method was more widely used than any other method of teaching. Again further 63.8% of the sampled students had scored 201-300 marks out of 500 marks at primary school level hence poor academic background. Most teachers lived outside the schools as indicated by 57.3% of the students’ respondents, hence remedial teaching during morning and evening was not possible. From the study majority of the students (56.9%) revealed that, the syllabus was never covered before the end of every year.

Among the recommendations of the study were; the Board of Governors should equip the science laboratories and libraries and put up teachers houses. A variety of teaching methods should be used to create interest in learning and teachers should focus on value addition of the learners’ due to their low Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) entry marks to secondary school. internal supervision of the implementation of the curriculum by the principals needs to be intensified.