Predictors of Academic Burnout and its Relationship to Academic Achievement among Form Four Secondary School Students in Homa-Bay County, Kenya
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Date
2018
Authors
Oyoo, Syprine Aoko
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Poor academic achievement by students in any educational endeavor is a matter of
concern. Statistics obtained from the KCSE examination results in 2016 revealed that
more than half of the candidates (51.7%) in the country scored grade D and below. This
was high compared to the number of candidates who scored grade D and below in 2015
(25.6%) and 2014 (26.9%). This trend is likely to affect the nation in terms of its inability
to employ people with adequate knowledge and skills needed to push its development
agenda. Although many studies have identified situational and psychological factors that
are associated with low academic achievement, there is paucity of local studies on the
predictors of academic burnout and its relationship to academic achievement. This study
therefore sought to find out the extent to which academic resilience, academic motivation
and psychosocial support predict academic burnout. The study further sought to find out
the relationship between academic burnout and academic achievement among secondary
school students in Kenya. The study was guided by conservation of resource theory by
Hobfoll which explains academic resilience, academic motivation and social support as
available resources students may use to cope with challenging situations in their learning
environment. The study adopted a correlational research design. The target population
was all the year 2017 form four students in public secondary schools in Homa-Bay
County. Purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used in the
selection of the schools and the participants. The sample involve 714 Form four students
drawn from 31 public secondary schools. Data were collected using questionnaires
comprising items adapted from Resilience Scale (RS14), Academic Motivation Scale
(AMS), Children and Adolescence Social Support Scale (CASSS) and Maslach Burnout
Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS). To enhance reliability and validity of the
instruments, a pilot study was carried out on 38 form four students from a co-educational
day school, which was not included in the main study. The collected data were analyzed
using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The techniques used in data analysis
included Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, multiple regression analysis
and path analysis. The hypotheses were tested at p < .05 level of significance. The results
revealed that academic resilience, academic motivation and perceived social support were
significant predictors of academic burnout. A significant negative correlation was also
found between academic burnout and academic achievement. The path model established
interrelationships among the study variables as well direct and indirect pathways of the
study variables on academic achievement. Academic burnout was found to mediate the
effects of academic resilience, academic motivation and perceived social support on
academic achievement. It was concluded that students’ academic resilience, and
academic motivation is affected by a network of interactions with the teachers, close
friends and classmates. The study, therefore, recommended that schools should provide a
conducive environment where students can get social support from their teachers, peers
and close friends. It is through this free interaction that academic resilience and academic
motivation can be nurtured. This may in turn reduce students’ level of academic burnout
allowing them to fully participate in their learning.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfillment for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Psychology) in the School of Education, Kenyatta University. November, 2018