Publication: Causes of poor academic performance in public secondary schools in Awendo district, Migori county.
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2015-04
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
The purpose of conducting this educational research was to discover the challenges facing
academic performance by students in the public secondary schools in Awendo District, Migori
County. For the past three years, there has been a steady increase in the number of students who
do not attain the threshold score of C+ for further training in university. The specific objectives
of this study were to establish if teachers of Awendo district, Migori County felt motivated to
work hard, to determine the role of parents in ensuring high academic standards in Awendo
district secondary schools, to ascertain if poverty had played a role in low achievement by
students in most of Awendo district secondary schools and to determine if the government and
its agencies were doing enough towards the realisation of good academic standards in public
secondary schools in Awendo district, Migori County. This was guided by B.F. Skinner’s
findings about the influence of reinforcement. Research design used was the Descriptive design
which is known to help provide answers to questions of who, what, when, where and how
associated with a particular research problem. Descriptive design was deemed appropriate in this
research since under this design, the subject was being observed in a completely natural and
unchanged environment. The locale of this study was Awendo District in Migori County, Kenya.
The district covers approximately thirty-four square kilometres. Awendo district borders Uriri
district to the north, Rongo district to the west and Kuria district to the south. The target
population for this research was fifty-five public secondary schools in Awendo district from
which a sample size of 15% was obtained. Through systematic sampling technique, it then
involved a 10% sample size of members of Form Four. On average, it was estimated that each of
the schools had 55 learners in form four. A 10% sample size from the target population of 495
candidates of the sampled schools would then yield a sum of 50 learners, beside the nine
principals up for interviewing. The nine sampled schools have fourteen Form four streams and
therefore 14 class teachers. In total, the researcher handled 73 respondents. The data so obtained
was analyzed and then interpreted to have meaning. The researcher employed narrative
techniques to establish the challenges facing academic performance. The quantitative data was
then consolidated into statistical tables and pie charts to interpret data. The beneficiaries of the
findings from this research include the government of Kenya which may use these results to
improve on its monitoring techniques. School administrations may also realise certain areas on
which they may need to check on from the findings of this research. Even the parents may find
out a common undoing and improve in that respect. School heads must be people who are
creative and responsive and be seen and understood to be alive to all issues. The schools need to
institute some profit making activities so as to avoid being stranded in executing school projects.
There also ought to be frequent in-service refresher courses for school administrators to help
make them alert as regards their roles in the schools. All parents need to acquire at least some
level of literacy to help them in this.
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Education