ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SCIENCES: IMPLICATIONS FOR GENDER PARITY IN KENYAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Navin Imbova Mackatiani, Caleb Imbova Mackatiani

Abstract


This paper sought to investigate the factors that contribute to gender disparity in science subjects' performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in Kenya. The study was conducted in Kakamega East Sub-County, Kenya. Kenya has domesticated international legal instruments on equal and quality education for both boys and girls. However, data obtained from the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) on KCSE results depicts that boys perform better than girls in science subjects. Based on this context, the study examined factors that contribute to gender disparity in academic performance in sciences. The study further assessed the assumptions underlying gender parity as well as the negative influence of gender parity on students in Kenyan secondary schools. The study identified three research objectives that guided data collection and data analysis. The paper examined the impact of learners' attitudes towards science subjects. Parental influence was also analyzed. The study further examined the role played by culture. The study targeted target boys boarding secondary schools and girls boarding secondary schools. The entire study population was 2200, out of which 400 students, 30 teachers, and10 headteachers were sampled. The total sample size was 440. This conformed to a confidence interval of 0.05, the confidence level of 95 percent, which is a Z-score of 1.96standard deviation of 0.5. The reliability was estimated through the use of Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. Data was collected through questionnaires and interview schedules. Frequency analysis and findings revealed that the socio-economic status of the family, pupils' attitudes, and culture contributed to gender disparity in science performance. Regression analysis revealed that attitudes, socio-economic status and culture influence gender parity by 6.2 percent. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education should provide proper career guidelines, which would motivate both boys and girls to pursue science subjects.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

DOI

Keywords


achievement, attitudes, culture, socio-economic status

Full Text:

PDF

References


Blanden, G., & Gregg, P. (2010). Family income and educational attainment: A review of Approaches and evidence for Britain. CMPO Working Paper, 04/110. 2004.

Chege, A., & Sifuna, D. N. (2010). Girl's and Women's Education in Kenya. UNESCO.

De Broueker, P., & Underwood, K. (2010). Intergenerational education mobility: An international comparison with a focus on postsecondary education. Education Quarterly Review, 5(2), 30-45.

Ewenıyı, G. (2013). The impact of family structure on university students' academic performance. New York: Kindle Books.

John, A. (2005). Elements of education and social science research methods. Masola Publishers: Nairobi.

Jones N. and Wheatley, J. (2009). Gender differences in teacher-student interaction in science classrooms. Journal of research in Science Teaching, 27, 861-874.

Kose, K. (2011). Effects of School and Private Courses on the academic achievement of students taking the high school entrance exams from the aspect of socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the family. Education Journal, 5(17), 46-77.

Kenya National Examinations Council (2015). 2013 and 2014 KCSE Chemistry Report. KNEC.

KNEC (2009). Kenya certificate of secondary education examination report. Nairobi: Kenya: Kenya National Examination Council.

KNEC (2010). Kenya certificate of secondary education examination report. Nairobi: Kenya: Kenya National Examination Council.

KNEC (2011). Kenya certificate of secondary education examination report. Nairobi: Kenya: Kenya National Examination Council.

KNEC (2012). Kenya certificate of secondary education examination report. Nairobi: Kenya: Kenya National Examination Council.

KNEC (2013). Kenya certificate of secondary education examination report. Nairobi: Kenya: Kenya National Examination Council.

Mbaka, N. & Wamae, M. (2004). Comprehensive secondary chemistry. Oxford University Press.

Mugenda, O., & Mugenda, A. (2008). Research Methods: Quantitative Approaches. Nairobi: Acts Press.

Olatunde, Y. P. (2009). Students' attitudes towards Sciences and academic achievement in some selected secondary schools in Southwestern, Nigeria. European Journal of Scientific Research, 36: 336-341.

Orodho J. (2010). Access and Participation in Secondary Education in Kenya. Emerging Issues and policy implications. Discussion paper no. 037, August 2010, Nairobi: IPAR Discussion paper series.

Pearson, R. (2014). Gender Analysis and Policy. Edinburgh: Routledge Publishers.

The Republic of Kenya. (2012). Economic Survey. Nairobi: Central Bureau of Statistics.

UNESCO (2011). Gender and Education for All: The Leap to Equality. EFA Global Monitoring Report from 2005 to 2011. Paris: UNESCO.

Trowbridge, W. N. (2004). Teaching secondary science: Strategies for developing scientific literacy. 8th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Twoli, W. N. (2006). Teaching secondary school sciences. A textbook for teachers in developing countries. Nairobi: Nehema Publishers.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.3062

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2020 Navin Imbova Mackatiani, Caleb Imbova Mackatiani

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2015-2023. European Journal of Education Studies (ISSN 2501 - 1111) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).