Determinants of Academic Performance in Public Day Secondary Schools, Manga District, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine home-, school-, student- and teacher-related factors that influenced student academic performance in public day secondary schools of Manga District, Kenya. The descriptive survey design was adopted. The sample of seven head teachers (7), twenty eight (28) teachers and four hundred and twenty five (425) students was selected by proportional stratified technique. The data was collected by use of questionnaires and observation checklists and analysed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed the factors such as parents’ education level, parents’ financial burden, the family size, conditions at home, parents’ attitude towards education, school infrastructure, availability of teaching requirements, curriculum implementation, time management, student’s discipline, student’s entry mark, teacher’s teaching experience and level of education among others have significant impact in academic performance of a child. The author outlined some policy option on the findings.

Key Words: Secondary schools, academic performance.