Determinants of academic performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination among project sponsored children in Machakos District-Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to establish the determinants of academic performance in KCSE examination among the sponsored students from a project management perspective. KCSE examination was the standard the researcher used to measure the academic performance of students in sponsorship projects, in Machakos District. The research was guided by the following objectives; to assess whether the type of school influenced the academic performance at KCSE among the sponsored children, to investigate how social economic background of the sponsored children affected their performance, to determine the extent to which sponsored child’s characteristics influenced his or her academic performance in KCSE and to examine the nature of sponsored programmes and their influence on the sponsored children performance in KCSE exams. The study was carried out using the descriptive research design on a population of all the 6 sponsorship project heads, ten secondary school head teachers of the schools where the sponsored form four students sat their KCSE and the 96 sponsored children who did their exam in the last 3years. The sampling design engaged was census method since the population was small. The research instruments used in the study included content analysis, scheduled interview guides and questionnaires. The scheduled interview guides were used for the project Directors and School heads, while the questionnaires were administered to the 96 sponsored. The data collected from the student respondents, Project heads and school heads was coded and analyzed using SPSS and the results presented in tables in form of percentages. The study found that most of the sponsored students attained grade C+ and below in KCSE exam because of; poor social economic background, nature of the schools they attended, their own personal attributes and the nature of the sponsor programs. The study recommends the government improves the status of all secondary schools, that the sponsors pay full school fees, and improve the social economic status of the parents and caregivers of the sponsored children.