Ndungu,Rahab Wanjiru2024-08-092024-08-092024-06https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/28641A Research Project Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning of Kenyatta University. June 2024 supervisor Samuel M. MutweleliIn present-day cultural and socio-economic context, the world is becoming more and more competitive. When education is regarded as a passage to affluence and a key factor for personal and social development, great emphasis is placed on students’ academic achievement throughout the learning process. Low academic achievement may negatively impact on learners’ psychological wellbeing and cause substantial stress on parents, who may subsequently pressurize their children to perform. There were many aspects that might have been associated with low academic achievement, including environmental, pedagogical and psychological factors. More specifically, this study focused on two psychological factors, namely achievement motivation, and academic self-concept (ASC) among learners in secondary schools. The purpose therefore was to determine the relationship between academic self-concept and achievement motivation on academic achievement among form three students in secondary schools in Kirinyaga East sub-county, Kirinyaga County. The objectives guiding the research aimed at determining the relationship between academic self-concept; achievement motivation and academic achievement, establish the prediction equation of academic achievement from academic self-concept, and achievement motivation, and to investigate if there was difference of gender in academic self-concept and academic motivation on academic achievement among form three students in secondary schools in Kirinyaga East sub-county. The study was founded on achievement motivation theory by McClelland (1953), and self-concept theory (1959) by Carl Rogers. Using correlational research design, the researcher targeted to draw inferences from a population of 2,500 students in form three across all public secondary schools in Kirinyaga East sub-county. Three hundred and eighty students from 11 schools were selected through proportionate, purposive, stratified and stratified random sampling techniques. A questionnaire incorporating adapted ASCA, and SAMRS scales, as well as end of term examination records were used as instruments. A Pilot study for instrument pretesting involved 40 form three students drawn from one school that was not selected for the main study. Central tendency, frequency counts and distribution variability were utilised as descriptive statistics, and correlation and multiple regression as inferential statistics. The results indicated that significant positive relationship was established between ASC and learners’ scores on academic achievement (r (359) = .14, p< 0.01). A positive and significant relationship was also established between learners’ achievement motivation and academic achievement scores (r (359) = .19, p< 0.01). Motivation, and creativity as domains of ASC were significantly correlated with scores on academic achievement, while among the domains of achievement motivation, significant correlation was noted between overcoming obstacles, goal orientation, learners’ scores on academic achievement. It was established that there was minimal predictive value of academic achievement from combined effect of academic self-concept, and achievement motivation. Significant differences in gender were established in both ASC, achievement motivation, and academic achievement favoring female students. Among the recommendations include the need for education ministry through its training and capacity building institutions to equip teachers with skills aimed at developing key components of ASC, and achievement motivation. The study further recommended that schools ought to promote instructional strategies aimed at promoting components of ASC and achievement motivation found to have been strongly linked to academic achievement. There was need for schools to devise practical intervention strategies targeted on boys as a measure of narrowing differences of gender in ASC, and achievement motivation.enThesis