Factors influencing academic achievement in public secondary schools in central Kenya: an effective schools’ perspective
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Date
2013
Authors
Njuguna F.W.
Waweru, S. N.
Nyagosia, Patrick Ogecha
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
SAVAP International
Abstract
This study determined the relationship between school effectiveness and academic
performance of students in secondary schools of Central Kenya. The study examined
how implementation of the following seven correlates of Effective Schools Model
influenced students’ academic performance: instructional leadership, focus on school
mission, school safety and orderliness, expectations for success, home-school
relations, monitoring of students’ progress, and opportunity to learn. A survey design
was used targeting all principals, heads of departments (HODs), teachers, and
District Education Officers (DEOs) in charge of 501 provincial and district public
secondary schools in Kiambu and Nyeri counties. Stratified sampling was used to
select 40 schools, comprising 20 schools from the top performing category and 20
from the bottom performing category. Study participants comprised 40 principals,
120 HODs, 240 teachers and 17 DEOs. Data was collected using questionnaires and
interviews. Data was analysed using Pearson correlation coefficient and the t-test.
Results showed that, in comparison with bottom performing schools, top performing
schools were putting more emphasis on six of the seven correlates, with only frequent
monitoring of students progress returning no significant results. The study concludes
that the seven correlates are good predictors of academic performance in Kenyan
schools. It is noteworthy that the seven correlates require minimal financial inputs,
meaning that even the financially constrained schools can still achieve school
effectiveness by practising the correlates.
Description
Keywords
School Effectiveness, Effective School Model, Academic Performance
Citation
Educational Research International, Vol. 2 No. 2 October 2013