Assessment of the factors affecting the standard of education in junior secondary schools in the Kassena-Nankana district in the upper east region of Ghana

Abstract

Positive relationships have been found to exist between factors like family size, parents\' educational levels, parents\' occupational statuses, ability of parents to pay school fees, and the concern parents show in their children\'s education and academic performance. This research tried to find out whether the above findings hold good in the Kassena-Nankana district by examining the relationship between the above named factors and pupils\' performance in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). Personal interviews using questionnaires was the main research instrument. A total sample size of 14 Junior Secondary Schools, around 140 households and some officials of the district education directorate was used. The selection was done through random sampling.
The study revealed that in the district, positive relationships exist between the above named factors and pupil\'s academic performance. There is therefore the need for the government and all other interested parties to take pragmatic steps to put mechanisms in place in order to remove all the problems relating to the above factors in the district. It is hoped that this will help raise the academic performance of pupils vis-à-vis the standard of education in the district and the country as a whole.


Keywords: district, standard, education, academic performance


Journal Of Science And Technology Vol. 25 (1) 2005: 43-57