Hillary Ngetich-final Project Report

8/17/2019 Hillary Ngetich-final Project Report

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A PROJECT REPORT ON

The Influence of Day-Schooling on Performance among eongo an!

ericho To"n#hi$ Secon!ary School S%u!en%#

&I''AR( ) N*ETIC&

'+,11.,/1/

'ECT0RER Dr) ANJO*0

'AIIPIA 0NIERSIT(

JAN0AR(-APRI' 2,13


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A4#%rac%

This study was aimed at investigating whether students attending day schools perform equally as

their counterparts in boarding schools. It has been argued by some researchers that students who

attend day schools lose a lot of time which would have otherwise been used to study. Issues that

were explored in the study included absenteeism, influence of the community environment,

perceptions of learners towards day schools, teacher-related factors, and level of income of

families. The study employed a descriptive research design whereby participants were selected

using systematic sampling. A sample of 6 students was ta!en from two public day secondary

schools from "ericho #ounty $"eongo and "ericho Township% and which consisted only of form

four students. &ata was collected using questionnaires which were distributed to the students and

also included the participation of the &irectors of 'tudies $&('% from the two schools. The &('

questionnaires were aimed at addressing the teacher)school related issues affecting performance.

&ata analysis was made using percentages and frequencies. *ie charts and tables were used in the

presentation of the collected data. According to the study, a strong correlation exists between the

socio-economic condition of the parents and the absenteeism rates. 'tudents tend to become

absent because of lac! of school fees. This subsequently contributes to poor performance.


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Ta4le of Con%en%#

+. iterature eview..................................................................................................11

+.+ Theoretical /ramewor! ............................................................................................16

+.0 #onceptual /ramewor! ............................................................................................16

0.1 #2A*T3 0............................................................................................................ 18

0. ocation of the 'tudy..............................................................................................18

0.+ esearch &esign....................................................................................................18

0.0 'ampling *rocedure................................................................................................18

0.4 Instrumentation..................................................................................................... 18

0. *rocedure for #ollecting &ata................................................................................... 19

0.6 &ata Analysis Techniques.........................................................................................19

0.5 &ata *resentation...................................................................................................19

4.1 #2A*T3 4 3'7T' A8& &I'#7''I(8..................................................................20

4. esults................................................................................................................ 20

Table &ata on &(' questionnaire from selected schools....................................................20

Table + 9ariables and corresponding frequencies for item of the questionnaire ........................21

Table 0 'ummary of results according to items..................................................................22

/igure *reference of students to day school and boarding school..........................................23

/igure + 3ffect of distance on academic performance..........................................................24

/igure 0 3ffect of friends and community.........................................................................24

/igure 4 3valuation if parents give students a lot of wor! .....................................................25


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/igure The economic status of the parents $whether they have the ability to gather for their children:s

education%.................................................................................................................25

/igure 6 ;hether the *arent:s level of education is high or low..............................................26

/igure 5 If the student has been absent from school during the term when the study was carried out.27

/igure


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1) C&APTER 1

1)1 5ac6groun! of %he Pro4lem

In "enya, secondary schools differ in the manner in which students are admitted to form one.

'chools are categoried into national, provisional, and district schools. =ost national and

provisional schools are purely boarding schools whereby students are provided with meals and

accommodation in school and are only allowed to go home during half term and when the

schools close. ;hen it comes to district schools, the institutions of learning either allow students

to board or to commute from home every morning and go bac! home after they complete their

daily studies. 'uch schools whereby students are allowed to operate from home are considered

day schools. /or most parents, sta!eholders, and student themselves, there are challenges that

students face when they go to day schools. Among the challenges include the inability of learners

to get enough time to concentrate on their studies because of the influence of the family as well

as the environment that students are exposed to.

According to (dumbe, 'imatwa, and Ayodo $+1%, the "enyan government has been

wor!ing towards improving the educational outcomes of students because students are an asset

that the country will benefit from. @uality education is an important aspect that the government

of "enya has largely focused on since students are potentially helpful in meeting the economic,

social and technological needs for economic development. In their case study of =igori #ounty

on the factors that influence the academic performance in day-secondary schools, (dumbe et al.

$+1% cite a number of setbac!s that students face in day secondary schools which include BC

absenteeism of students from school, low family income, long distance travelled by students to

school and bac!, entry behaviour and attitude of students towards the school, resulted in poor

performance.D According to the findings of this study, it is evident that there are significant

factors which greatly influence the performance of students in day schools compared to their

counterparts in boarding schools. /or instance, students tend to become absent from school or are

affected by the distance travelled which provides little opportunity for learners to concentrate on

their studies. 2owever, from another position of the spectrum, some students and parents prefer

day schools because of financial constraints $=urage, +1%. /or instance, some parents prefer to

ta!e their children to day schools because the fees paid in such schools are much lower than

those paid in boarding schools. *arents would also want their children to be at home to help them

in their daily chores. 'ome students also cite the benefits of attending day schools because they


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li!e to be close to their parents. According to such students, attending boarding school creates a

great deal of nostalgia which affects their studies. Eahadar et al. $+14% equally cite the demerits

of the boarding schools which include poor meals and crowdedness due to the lac! of enough

boarding facilities. &espite such claims, it is evident that students in day schools face a wide

range of challenges compared to their counterparts in boarding schools. The government should

consider coming up with a policy that would harmonie the learning environments of all students

without one group being more advantaged than another. (pportunities provided to students in

national and provisional schools should be harmonied to include students in district schools.

The formulation of a policy that would scrap the idea of day schools may be an informed one

because it will help to level the playing field so that all learners get the same opportunities in

their secondary education.

1)2 S%a%emen% of %he Pro4lem

The idea of how day schooling influence student performance has received less attention

from policy ma!ers, teachers, parents, students, and other sta!eholders. The issue of giving

freedom for schools to decide whether they should be day schools or boarding schools has not

been fully chec!ed. There is a need to investigate some of the factors which influence student

performance in day secondary schools which are not experienced by boarding schools.

1). Pur$o#e of %he S%u!y

The aim of this study was to try to address the gap that exists between day schools and

boarding schools using the case of two mixed day secondary schools "eongo 'econdary 'chool

and "ericho Township 'econdary 'chool. This study aimed to collect views from students and

&('s to ascertain if day-schooling affects student performance. The factors that play a critical

role in performance were also investigated. 'ome of the critical aspects that were explored in the

study included absenteeism, distance travelled by students, and attitude of students towards day

schools.

1) O48ec%i9e# of %he S%u!y


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The obFective of this study was to find out the student-related factors towards the academic

performance, proximity or location of the school, family income, and teacher-related factors. The

study attempted to find out what the student perceptions were towards day schools, the influence

of the environment towards their performance, and how the distance students travel to and from

their homes affect their school performance. The study also investigated the teacher-related

factors towards the performance of the students. The dependent variable was student

performance and the independent variables included the location of the school, teacher-related

factors, and student-related factors.

1)/ Re#earch :ue#%ion#&y$o%he#i#

The research questions related to this study includedG

a% ;hat is the influence of distance travelled by day secondary schools on performanceH b% ;hat are the student perceptions about day schools relative to the boarding schoolsH

c% To what extent do day schools influence student absenteeismH

d% ;hat is the influence of family bac!ground on the decisions to enter day schoolsHe% Are teachers motivated to teach in day schoolsH

1)3 Significance of %he S%u!y

This study is invaluable not only to parents and sta!eholders, but also to the government

because proper policy formulation can help to improve the quality of the student outcomes in day

secondary schools. According to the "enyan constitution, learners should be provided with

quality education that can help them to become productive members of the society upon

completion of their learning $2eyman #assola, +1+%. 'tudies show that students in day

schools face a wide range of challenges which places them at a disadvantaged position compared

to their counterparts in boarding schools. If the government recognies the limitations associated

with day schools, a policy that scraps day schools may help to fill the gap that currently exists

between day schools and boarding schools. Although the issue of time and resources may

prevent policy implementation, a move towards harmoniing the learning environments in the

country can help to provide equal opportunities to all learners. =eanwhile, some parents may

also become resistant to the path towards ma!ing all schools as boarding $=urage, +1%. 'ome

parents opt to ta!e their children to day schools because the fees in such schools are much lower

than those in boarding schools. &espite the claims of financial constraints faced by low income

families, proper policies geared towards subsidiing education will help parents to recognie the


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need for quality education for their children. *arents will finally recognie the fact that quality

education provided to their children can help to shape their future lives. This can subsequently

translate to social and economic progress in societies.

1)7 Sco$e of %he S%u!y

This study was confined to two mixed day secondary schools in "ericho #ounty which

included "eongo 'econdary 'chool and "ericho Township 'econdary school. These schools are

in close proximity which enabled the collection of data in an efficient manner. The two schools

also share similar aspects especially the immediate environments where most students reside.

1); 'imi%a%ion# of %he S%u!y

This study had some limitations based on the fact it only too! into consideration the aspects

affecting a specific area. The entry behaviour is also another significant factor which limited the

study. The !ey aspect about the entry behaviour is that the schools may have a particular culture

of admitting students based on their performance in primary schools. Therefore, generaliing the

idea that day-schooling influences the performance is short-sighted. There are some regions

where students perform well)poorly irrespective of whether the students are day scholars or not.

The bottom-line is that different regions in "enya have their own unique learning cultures,

behaviours, attitudes, and norms which influence learners: performance. Therefore, the

subFectivity of the study should not be ignored.

1)< A##um$%ion# of %he S%u!y

;hile this study was aimed at collecting pertinent information related to student performance

in day secondary school students, the honesty of the respondents might have affected the results.

The respondents might have not provided accurate information affecting them. The respondents

might have also tried to use strategies that were aimed at impressing the researcher by providing

answers that favoured the intended outcomes of the study. espondents might have felt that their

personal lives were being intruded which might have influenced the manner in which they

provided information to the researcher. It was also assumed that the students: entry behaviour

was uniform without any extremes considered BexcellentD or Bpoor.D astly, the level of


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understanding of the subFect by the respondents might have compromised the quality of the

results. This was evident in some filled questionnaires related to socio-economics of parents.

1)1, O$era%ional Defini%ion of Term#

Day #econ!ary #chool efers to educational institutions where male and female students

commute from home to school every school day and go bac! home in the evening.

enya Cer%ifica%e of Primary E!uca%ion =CPE> This refers to an examination ta!en at the

end of the eight years of primary education in the "enyan education system.

enya Cer%ifica%e of Secon!ary E!uca%ion =CSE> efers to an examination ta!en at the end

of the four years of secondary education at fourth form in "enyan education system.

Aca!emic Performance efers to success in standardied national examination at critical

stages of life. /or example, "#*3 and "#'3, where one must succeed in order to proceed

further in education or a sample of achievement of a student with respect to attained s!ills or

!nowledge.

Pu4lic 4oar!ing #chool# efers to the schools where the government assists partially in

finances and supply of teachers and students are housed in the schools.

Day #cholar A leaner who commutes every morning from home to school and goes bac! home

in the evening.

5oar!er efers to a student who stays in school and is provided accommodation and meals

throughout the term.

Direc%or of S%u!ie# =DOS> efers to a teacher selected by the school to ensure that the

academic affairs of the students are monitored and feedbac! provided to students, teachers, and

parents. The &(' is also charged with ensuring that the school timetable is made and

implemented.

Re#ource# efers to both learning and physical facilities in the school such as laboratories,

library, computer labs, text boo!s etc.


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Reme!ial %eaching This refers to the additional coaching)teaching of students during students:

free time such as in the evenings and wee!ends.

:uali%y e!uca%ion efers to an education system with high level of achievement and efficient

management of education resources.

Poor $erformance efers to sample of achievement that is inadequate of what is expected to

enable one proceed to the next level.

Social 'earning Theory A learning theory that postulates that learning entail cognitive

processes which occur in social contexts either through pure observation or direct instruction,

even when direct reinforcement or motor reproduction is absent.

2), C&APTER 2

2)1 'i%era%ure Re9ie"

The "enyan government recognies education as the basic human right as stipulated in

the constitution. 3mphasis has been placed on the importance of quality and equal education for

all so that learners can become productive members of the society $"emunto, +10G 2eymann

#assola, +1+%. 3ducation is important in eliminating poverty, ignorance and disease. The

government allocates significant amounts of money to the education sector in order to achieve its

obFectives of ensuring equity in education. It has been the government:s policy to continue

expanding secondary education and the government noted that to underta!e such expenditure in

the most effective way, there should be the establishment of mixed)pure day public secondary

schools $"emunto, +10%. Eecause of the differences in socio-economic status, some parents

prefer day schools because they are cheaper to develop and maintain. The government provides

the facilities and equipment so as to maintain high standards of quality teaching and learning.

&espite the efforts that the government has made to enhance quality education and easy access to

vulnerable populations, there are still challenges that face mixed)pure day secondary schools$"emunto, +10%. (ne aspect that has been noted is the increased absenteeism and dropout rates

in such schools. 'ome researchers have attributed the challenges experienced by day secondary

schools to school and community factors $/ilmer /ox, +14%. The combination of the school

factors and the environmental factors translate to poor performance in the "enya #ertificate of

'econdary 3ducation $"#'3%. As emphasied by "emunto $+10, p. 0%, BThe in school factors


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that affect academic performance include teaching and learning resources, physical facilities,

class sie, curriculum and instructions, proximity of the school, type of school, teacher

experience and commitment.D 'ome of the community factors include the level of education of

the parents, the sie of the family, the learner:s social class, and the parental participation in

education $"emunto, +10%. Therefore, according to researchers, school and community factors

play combined roles in influencing the performance of students in public day secondary schools.

In =buru:s $+10% study on B3ffects of the Type of 'chool Attended on 'tudents

Academic *erformance in "ericho and "ip!elion &istricts, "enya,D the author concludes that

the type of school attended by students affect their performance. Those who attend public

boarding schools cannot be compared to their counterparts in public day schools. In most cases,

students in public boarding secondary schools get enough time to study and organie their

personal and academic lives compared to those in public day secondary schools. Time is a crucial

factor which influences the performance of students. /or instance, students in public day

secondary schools are in most instances required by the parents to provide assistance at home

which robs them the much needed time for studies. The situation gets even worse if the learners

come from poor bac!grounds and with parents with minimal !nowledge on the importance of the

education of their children. Instead of allowing their children to read, some parents force their

children to accomplish daily chores at home. Additionally, the cumulative time lost while

commuting to and from home is enormous. This places learners at a disadvantaged position

because they not only fail to access vital academic resources $teachers, boo!s, and fellow

classmates%, but also waste a lot of time. =buru:s $+10% study conform to (dumbe et al.:s

$+1% study on student academic performance in day-secondary schools since both studies

identify the influence that the type of school attended has on student performance. In other

words, a learner is affected by the environment he)she is exposed to during learning.

According to =buru $+1%, the inputs in the educational sector should provide outputs

which are measured in terms of student achievement. 2owever, as (dumbe et al. $+1%

emphasie, BC the performance of day-secondary schools may be affected by, the entry

behaviour of students, their prospects in life, and the opportunities offered by the immediate

surroundings of the school.D (ne or a combination of these factors can encourage students to

wor! hard or demotivate them. 'ome studies show that learners drop out of school if they are


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admitted to low performing schools $(dumbe et al., +1%. The balance between the cost of

education and income levels of families has not been steady in the past years. *opulation

increase has given rise to more poor households, and as the cost of education increases, such

families are finding it hard to maintain their children in school. 9irtually, every social and

economic indicator shows the extreme differences between rural and urban areas in the country.

=ost public day secondary schools in the country are located in rural areas where most of the

lower class people live.

Another important aspect that has been cited in literature is the need for schools to enrol a

certain number of students to form one. In most instances, this number of students may not be

achieved which ma!es some schools to become flexible in the cut-off mar!s to Foin form one.

'ome public day secondary schools are forced to admit students with low mar!s in order to fill

the required number. These students may or may not improve in secondary school which is later

reflected in the "#'3 performance. 'ome schools also lac! enough resources because priority

has always been given to national schools. 'uch resources as teachers, learning resources, and

physical facilities have equally contributed to the poor performance in public day secondary

schools. The conclusions provided by (dumbe et al. $+1% on the reasons for poor performance

in day secondary schools include BC low family income, wea! entry behaviour and absenteeism

of students.D According to the authors, family income determines if a student stays in school all

the time without being disturbed or gets the conducive environment to study at home. &ay

secondary schools also have wea! entry behaviours which influence the "#'3 results. 'tudents

are also !nown to absent themselves when they are in day secondary schools because they can

ta!e advantage of lac! of fees or required learning resources to avoid going to school. The study

conducted by (dumbe et al. $+1% also confirm that urban and rural poor environment impact

negatively on school performance of day secondary schools while urban and rural affluent

environments enhanced performance of the day secondary schools.

'ome of the recommendations made by (dumbe et al. $+1% about the student related

factors include the need for the government to strengthen the bursary schemes aimed at helping

needy students in day schools. Also, lunch programs should exist in day schools because it helps

to increase the amount of time that learners are in school. The =inistry of education should also

revise the entry behaviour of students in day secondary schools such that students admitted ought


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to have attained a minimum of +1 mar!s in their "#*3. (dumbe et al. $+1% also recommend

the use of remedial teaching during the wee!ends in order to improve the performance of

students. Teachers should also be posted to areas in rural areas with many day schools to reduce

pupil-teacher ratio. (ther recommendations made by the authors include the need for

sta!eholders to put schools in good environments and BThe =inistry of 3ducation should

consider the need to further subsidie tuition fees in day-secondary schools, so that the students

do not absent themselves from school, going home for fees.D

In a comparative study conducted by Eahadar et al. $+14%, the behaviours and

performance of day scholar and border students at secondary school level was investigated. This

study was aimed at ascertaining whether students in day schools have equal opportunities and

chances to succeed in their academics compared to their boarding counterparts. Eahadar et al.

$+14% maintain that the boarding system help students to utilie resources such as textboo!s and

teachers which reduces the need to provide extra coaching. 2owever, the authors cite some of the

negative aspects of the boarding system including food problems, nostalgia, and crowdedness

because of the lac! of enough boarding facilities $Eahadar et al., +14%. &espite the challenges

that boarders face, Eahadar et al. $+14% indicate that they nonetheless enFoy their studies, living,

and sports properly. /or day scholars, the home environment is not suitable to study. 'tudents

wal! long distances to reach the school, sometimes in harsh weather conditions $Eahadar et al.,

+14%. This claim is also mentioned by (dumbe et al. $+1% who claim that when students wal!

long distances, they not only lose precious time to study, but also become fatigued thus affecting

their studies. Another significant factor mentioned by researchers regarding the home

environment is the bad company that students get while at home. The conclusions arrived at by

Eahadar et al. $+14% show that boarders enFoy more opportunities than their day school

counterparts which is reflected in the performance.

According to Jagero $+14%, the problem with most day schools is that they accept

students with low mar!s because it only caters for students within a confined community.

Therefore, if the entry behaviour of students is not good, it will be reflected in the final results of

the "#'3. As pointed out by Jagero $+14, p. 4K%, B... secondary schools which admitted to form

one students with high average mar!s in "enya #ertificate of *rimary 3ducation performed

better in the national examinations. Teachers and head teachers noted that the performance of


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students in day secondary schools was affected by the admission of wea! students.D The !ey idea

that the author tries to emphasie is that day secondary schoolsL selection is limited to nearby

primary schools especially in rural areas where students have to wal! to and from school.

Therefore, there is no diversity in the admission of students to form one. Jagero $+14%

recommends that the government should change its policy, in order to provide equal opportunity

for all types of schools to select their candidates to form one. &ay schools should also be given a

chance to compete with the boarding schools favourably when selecting students to form one.

Jagero $+14% also assert that improving more physical facilities to day secondary schools will

help to attract students with higher average scores in "#*3.

In a study conducted by "orir and "ip!emboi $+14% on BThe Impact of 'chool

3nvironment and *eer Influences on 'tudents: Academic *erformance in 9ihiga #ounty,

"enya,D the authors pointed out that the environment that learners are exposed to greatly

influence their performance. Also, the authors emphasie the role that peer influence has on

student performance. "orir and "ip!emboi $+14% used Albert Eandura:s 'ocial earning

Theory which considers learning as an interaction between environment, behaviour, and one:s

psychological processes. Just li!e the home environment, the school is a social setting which

helps to shape the behaviour of learners. The school and home environment has been confirmed

to affect the academic performance of learners $"orir "ip!emboi, +14%. Ey ma!ing the

school and the home environment to be conducive, learners are able to improve in their

academics. The interaction of students with bad peers at home or at school can significantly

influence their behaviour as well as their academics. "orir and "ip!emboi $+14% recommend

that principals of district public secondary schools should develop a rapport and understand the

feelings and needs of their students. The !ey factors of poor academic performance in day

secondary schools maForly focus on similar factors as outlined in the studies described. /or

instance, the conclusion of a study conducted by "arue and Amu!owa $+10, p. K+% show that in

day secondary schools, poor performance is attributed to B...lac! of reading materials, chores athome, poor lighting, bad company, lac! of proper accommodation, chronic absenteeism

emanating from lac! of school fees, admission of wea! students at form one entry, inadequate

instructional materials and physical facilities.D ?enerally, most of the factors influencing the

student performance in public day secondary schools are related to the environments that

learners are exposed to.


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2)2 Theore%ical ?rame"or6

This study adopted the social learning theory as well as the self-efficacy theory proposed

by Albert Eandura. The theory focuses on the patterns of behaviour of the people in response to

the environmental contingencies. ;hile some behaviour may be rewarded, others may, however,

produce unfavourable results through the process of differential reinforcement where people

select the more successful behaviour patterns. Eehaviour among learners, according to the

theory, is learned through observation of the behaviour of others. The models of behaviour

within the society help to shape all the members of such a group. In the context of this study, the

social factors influencing behaviour and performance of learners included the school-related

aspects and the community-related aspects. BAt the core of 'ocial #ognitive Theory are the self-

efficacy beliefs, in that people:s Fudgements of their capabilities to organise and execute

courses of action is required in order to attain designated types of performances. 'elf-

efficacy beliefs provide the foundation for human motivation, well-being, and personal

accomplishment. This is because unless people believe that their actions can produce the

outcomes they desire, they have little incentive to act or to persevere in the face of difficultiesD

$=buru, +10, p.


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the education of their children, level of income of the parents, and duties performed at home. The

school-related factors include the teaching and learning resources, the type of school, the class

sie, the teacher experience, and proximity of the school. This study will be based on the

conceptual framewor! shown in the figure below.

Ta4le 1 The conceptual framewor!

INTERENIN* ARIA5'ES

• evel of education of the parents

• /amily income

DEPENDENT ARIA5'ES

•

'tudent academic performance


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.), C&APTER .

.)1 'oca%ion of %he S%u!y

This study was confined to two schools in "ericho #ounty, "enya, located in a rural area

but in close proximity to "ericho town. The two schools where the study too! place were

"eongo 'econdary 'chool $public mixed day school% and "ericho Township 'econdary school

$public mixed day school%. The population comprised of secondary school students and

principals)&(' in the two schools.

.)2 Re#earch De#ign

This study used a descriptive research design which entailed the description of the state

of affairs of the subFects as they actually are. This research design was suitable for this study

based on the fact that attitudes of the subFects could not be manipulated. The survey method was

used in the collection of data which was done with the help of systematic questionnaires.

.). Sam$ling Proce!ure

The sampling procedure employed in this study was systematic sampling method. ;ith

this method, all members have equal opportunities of being selected. &epending on the

population sie, every nth member in a listed population is selected for the study. /or instance, in

this study, every +nd, 4th, 6th... nth members was selected for the study. The samples were ta!en

from the girls: streams as well as from boys: streams. This type of sampling reduced the biasness

of the researcher which might have negatively affected the results and findings. The sample

consisted of 6 students from both schools. This sample too! into account the participation of

both boys and girls from the schools.

.) In#%rumen%a%ion

The instruments that were used in this study included questionnaires. The questionnaires

consisted of open and closed-ended questions whereby the subFects)respondents were required to

either >3')8( answers or to choose between several alternatives. /ace-to-face interviews were

also used to collect data from the &('s.


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.)/ Proce!ure for Collec%ing Da%a

The procedure used in collecting data was through face-to-face interviews with the &('.

espondents were selected using a systematic sampling procedure whereby every nth member of

the population was selected. @uestionnaires were then issued to the respondents in the presence

of the researcher.

.)3 Da%a Analy#i# Techni@ue#

The data analysis techniques which were used in the study included the use of

percentages and frequencies $Table 0 and 4%. These techniques helped in transforming raw data

into more concrete information that were easily interpreted.

.)7 Da%a Pre#en%a%ion

The data presentation entailed the use of tables and pie charts. Tables were used to record

the attributes tested, the responses, frequencies, and percentages. The pie charts were used to

demonstrate the percentage of responses for any two variables.


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), C&APTER RES0'TS AND DISC0SSION

)1 Re#ul%#

+ schools were selected in order to participate in this study. In one school consisting of 60

form four students, 0 were randomly selected, and in another school of 6K students, 04 were

selected using the same criteria. Therefore, the total sample was 6 $'ee Appendix 0%. The table

below shows the data obtained from the &(' for both schools. M shows the variable being

measured with A and E indicating the data from the + schools.

Ta4le 2 &ata on &(' questionnaire from selected schools

+ A 5*opulation of students in

school

0


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agreed)disagreed that distance affected their studies Agreed O +5 $4.P% &isagreed O 0<

$


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Ta4le 'ummary of results according to items

9ariable esponse /requency *ercentage

Is your academics

affected by distance

>es +5 4.P

8o 0< es +0 0.4P

8o 4+ 64.6P

*arents give a lot of

wor! at home

>es K 0.


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22

eason for absence

'chool fees

>es K K1.


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23

Yes; 42%

No; 59%

Is your academics aected by distance


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24

?igure 2 3ffect of distance on academic performance

Yes; 35%

No; 65%

Are there friends or community factors that aect your academics

?igure . 3ffect of friends and community

Yes; 14%

No; 86%

Parents give a lot of work at home

?igure E9alua%ion if $aren%# gi9e #%u!en%# a lo% of "or6


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25

Average; 94%

poor; 6%

What is the economic status of your parents

?igure / The economic status of the parents $whether they have the ability to gather for their

children:s education%

According to the response provided, average means the parents are neither rich nor poor. They

are able to sustain the daily needs of the family.


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26

Yes; 37%

No; 63%

Parent’s level of education is high

?igure 3 ;hether the *arent:s level of education is high or low

Yes; 85%

No; 15%

Have you been absent from school

?igure 7 If the student has been absent from school during the term when the study was carried

out


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27

Yes; 91%

No; 9%

Reason for absence is chool fees

?igure ; #ontribution of lac! of school fees to absenteeism

)2 Di#cu##ion

According to the results, a significant number of students prefer day schools 40 $66P%

over boarding schools ++ $04P%. This shows that there are certain aspects of the home

environment which encourage students to remain in boarding schools. According to Eahadar et

al. $+14%, some students get certain privileges at home such as freedom and the ability to eat

well. In measuring the aspect of distance, students do not consider it as a factor in academics. /or

students whose homes are less than "m, this aspect is understandable. 2owever, for those who

travel long distances, academics is significantly affected $=buru, +10%. This effect is

demonstrated from the percentage response +5 $4.P% of the students. &espite the fact that a

higher number of students indicate that the distance from their home to school is more than one

!ilometre, the response to the question B&oes distance affect your academicsHD shows that few

students attribute distance as an impending factor to performance $/ig +%.

'tudents also do not consider the community factors as having a significant influence on

their performance. The effects of friends in the community as well as other variables within the


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28

community contribute only 0P effect on academics. *erhaps, students are aware that they have

to be responsible for their academics. =ost students ta!e the responsibility of controlling the

negative influence that the community might have on their academics.

*arents are beginning to realie the role that the education of their children plays. This is

demonstrated in the response to the question Are parents giving you a lot of wor! at homeH (nly

4P of the respondents indicated that they are burdened by the wor! that parents give at home.

2owever, for maFority of the respondents $


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/), C&APTER /

S0BBAR( O? ?INDIN*S CONC'0SIONS AND RECOBBENDATION

/)1 In%ro!uc%ion

This chapter provides a summary of the findings, conclusions and the recommendations.

The summary will answer the research questions based on the results and findings. The chapter

will also conclude the findings and offer recommendations as well as suggestions for further

research.

/)2 Summary

a> ha% i# %he influence of !i#%ance %ra9elle! 4y !ay #econ!ary #chool# on

$erformance

Eased on the study, distance travelled from home to school among students does not

contribute to poor performance. /or distances less than "m, students are comfortable

commuting from home to school. 2owever, beyond this distance, issues of lateness and tiredness

become apparent. 2owever, this issue should not be ignored because students can suffer insilence which might affect their academics.

4> ha% are %he #%u!en% $erce$%ion# a4ou% !ay #chool# rela%i9e %o %he 4oar!ing

#chool#

'tudents do not have problems with being in day schools. 40 $66P% of the respondents

indicated that performance is not influenced by enrolment in a day school. /ew students $++%

perceive that boarding schools are better than day schools.

c> To "ha% e%en% !o !ay #chool# influence #%u!en% a4#en%eei#m

Absenteeism has been found to significantly affect the performance of the students. $


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30

categories of schools are not able to gather for the fees in boarding schools. Eoarding schools are

a bit expensive compared to day schools. 'tudents have ease of access to their homes and can

stay at home while monitoring the progress of others. They do not feel as if they are away from

school. 2owever, the continued absenteeism translates to poor performance $(dumbe et al.,

+1%.

!> ha% i# %he influence of family 4ac6groun! on %he !eci#ion# %o en%er !ay #chool#

/amily bac!ground has a significant influence on the decisions to enter day schools. *arents

whose socio-economic status is low tend to loo! for day schools near where they live so that

their children can study there. *arents who have problems gathering for the education needs of

their children find it cheaper to enrol their children in day schools. The benefit of the decision

also includes the ability of the children to go home and assist in daily chores. /rom the results of

the study, lac! of school fees K $KP% contributes to poor performance. Therefore, family

bac!ground $economic status% affects the amount of time that students stay in school.

e> Are %eacher# mo%i9a%e! %o %each in !ay #chool#

According to the &(' responses, teachers are motivated to teach in day schools. These

schools are subsidied by the government and have their own motivation programs such as

remedial teaching that is paid. In reference to academics, the issue of teachers contributing to

low performance because of lac! of motivation is insignificant.

/). Conclu#ion#

The obFective of this study was to investigate the effect that the type of secondary school

attended has on the performance of students. There are several intervening factors that can affect

the performance of mixed day secondary schools. 'ome of the factors include distance from

home to school, community variables, and economic status of parents, absenteeism, and

student)teacher factors such as their preference to the schools. (ne significant factor that is

attributed to the trend in performance in mixed day secondary schools is the lac! of fees which

leads to increased absenteeism. Although such factors as distance and community factors

contribute to effect on the performance, students who are absent because of lac! of school fees

lag behind and rarely do well in their "#'3.


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/) Recommen!a%ion#

=ixed day secondary schools in "enya have equal chances li!e boarding schools to

nurture students to achieve their educational goals. 2owever, there are !ey aspects associated

with day schools which put students at a disadvantaged position when compared to their boarding counterparts. According to the study, it was found that the socio-economic status of

parents whose students are enrolled in day schools have challenges gathering for the educational

needs of their children. This leads to high absenteeism rates which translate to poor performance.

In order to address this issue, the government should re-evaluate its policy on funding public day

secondary schools. Ey increasing the funding of such schools, it will not only reduce

absenteeism because of lac! of school fees, but will influence parents to increase enrolment rate

in such schools. (nce this has been achieved, parents and sta!eholders can come together to

address the issue of distance travelled by students to and from day schools. The motivation

programs that exist should continue and the government should also balance how resources

$teachers% are distributed according to the existing hierarchies of 8ational, #ounty, and 'ub-

county levels. These measures will significantly change the current trend and performance in day

schools.

/) Sugge#%ion# for fur%her Re#earch

This research has explored the maFor aspects that influence the performance in public daysecondary schools. The findings of the study indicate interplay between the intervening variables

in the community and the school. A !ey factor that was found to affect the performance of

students is the failure of parents to pay school fees. This failure is attributed to the socio-

economic status of the parents which translates to absenteeism among students. It is therefore

suggested that future research related to this issue should focus on the !ind of programs that will

help students in public day secondary schools to remain in school even if the parents have not

paid fees. An investigation into this aspect will help to reduce the increased rates of absenteeism.


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3), RE?ERENCES

Eahadar, 8., =ahna, ;., Jadoon, 'obia, Jadoon, 'ofia. $June +14%. A #omparative Analysis

of the Eehaviours and *erformance of &ay 'cholar and Eoarder 'tudents at 'econdary

'chool evel. American Journal of Educational Research + $or!. ;orld Ean!

*ublications.

2eyman, J. #assola, A. $+1+%. Lessons in Educational Equality: Successful Approaches to

Intractable roblems around the !orld . 8ew >or!. (xford 7niversity *ress, 7'A.

Jagero, 8. $+14%. Input-(utput elationship and the @uality of 3ducation in &ay 'econdary

'chools in "enya. International Journal of "ommunity and "orporati#e Studies. $+%

4+-1.

"arue, 8. Amu!owa, ;. $+10%. Analysis of factors that lead to poor performance in "enya

#ertificate of secondary examination in 3mbu &istrict in "enya. $he International

Journal of Social Sciences. 0 $% K+-1I83P+1*(J3#T.pdf

"orir, &. ". "ip!emboi, /. $+14%. The Impact of 'chool 3nvironment and *eer Influences on

'tudents: Academic *erformance in 9ihiga #ounty, "enya. International Journal of

*umanities and Social Science. 4 $% +41-+.

=buru, &. 8. *. $+10%. 3ffects of the type of school attended on student academic performance

in "ericho and "ip!elion districts, "enya. International Journal of *umanities andSocial Science. 0 $4% 5K-K1.

=urage, E. #. $+1%. Influence of $ype of arenthood on Academic erformance of +ay

Schools: 'a,uru unicipality( )enya. 8airobi. (mniscriptum ?mbh #ompany.


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(dumbe, ?. A., 'imatwa, 3. =. ;. Ayodo, T. =. (. $+1%. /actors Influencing 'tudent

Academic *erformance in &ay-'econdary 'chools in "enya. A #ase 'tudy of =igori

'ub county. reener Journal of Educational Research. ;eb.


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A$$en!i 1 S%u!en% :ue#%ionnaire

&ear student,

=y name is 2illary 8getich. I am doing a research on BThe Influence of &ay-'chooling on

'tudent *erformance among 'econdary 'chool 'tudents.D The data that I will collect from you

will be treated with a lot of confidentiality. *lease be honest as you provide responses to the

questions as!ed.

'T7&38T 87=E3 $3g 0rd, th....%

Tic6 "here a$$ro$ria%e

. Indicate the type of school you prefer to study in

• &ay school

• Eoarding school

+. ;hat is the approximate distance from your home to schoolH

• ess than "m

• =ore than "m

0. Is your academic performance in school affected by distanceH

• >es

• 8o

4. &o you have friends in the community who might be affecting your studiesH

• >es

• 8o

. Are parents)guardians giving you a lot of wor! at homeH

• >es

• 8o

6. ;hat is the status of your parents)guardians in terms of income

• ich

• Average

• *oor

5. =y parents are

• 8ot educated

• 3ducated

es

• 8o

K. 2ave you been absent from school this termH

• >es


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35

• 8o

1. ;hat is the reason for your being absent from schoolH

• ac! of school fees

• 'ic!ness

• (ther $specify% CCCCC..

. In general, what do you believe is affecting your performance in schoolH


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36

A$$en!i 2 Princi$alDOS :ue#%ionnaire

&ear 'ir)=adam,

=y name is 2illary 8getich. I am carrying out a research on BThe influence of &ay-'chooling

on the *erformance of 'econdary 'chool 'tudents.D >our responses to this questionnaire will be

treated with a lot of confidentiality. *lease be honest as you fill the questionnaire.

*rincipal)&('

'chool CCCCCCCCCCCCC

. *lease provide me with the following data

• *opulation of the students in the school CCCCCCC.

• 8umber of teachers in the school CCCCCCCC• *opulation of form 4 students +14 CCCC.. +1 CCC..

• 8umber of students who Foined university +14 CCCC.. +1 CCCCCC..

• 'tudents who obtained a grade of #N and above +14 CCCC.. +1 CCCC

• =ean grade of the students in "#'3 +14 CCC. +1 CCCC.

Plea#e %ic6fill "here a$$ro$ria%e

. Is the student-teacher ratio meeting the required standardsH

• >es

• 8o

+. ;hat is the maFor cause of absenteeism of students in your schoolH• ac! of school fees

• 'ic!ness

• (ther $specify% CCC

0. *lease rate the teachers in terms of qualifications and their teaching methods

• *roficient

• Average

• 8ot proficient

4. Is the community supportive to the schoolH

• >es

• 8o.

. Are teachers motivated to teachH

• >es

• 8o.

6. Are there cases of teacher absenteeismH $a% >es $b% 8o

5. ?enerally, what do you believe is affecting the performance of students in their "#'3H


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37

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC


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38

A$$en!i . Num4er of S%u!en%# Sam$le! In %he T"o School# an! Re#ul%#

T(TA I8 T23 #(2(T 127

'A=*3& 3/

Tic! where appropriate

. Indicate the type of school you prefer to study in

I. &ay school .

ii. Eoarding school 22

+. ;hat is the approximate distance from your home to schoolH

I. ess than "m 2/

ii. =ore than "m ,

0. Is your academic performance in school affected by distanceH

I. >es 27

ii. 8o .<

4. &o you have friends in the community who might be affecting your studiesH

I. >es 2.

ii. 8o 4+

. Are parents)guardians giving you a lot of wor! at homeH

I. >es K

ii. 8o /3

6. ;hat is the status of your parents)guardians in terms of income


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39

I. ich nil

ii. Average 31

iii. *oor

5. =y parents are

I. 8ot educated .1

ii. 3ducated .

es 1

ii. 8o 2

K. 2ave you been absent from school this termH

I. >es /1

ii. 8o 1

1. ;hat is the reason for your being absent from schoolH

I. ac! of school fees /<

ii. 'ic!ness 3

iii. (ther $specify% CCnilFCC..

. In general, what do you believe is affecting your performance in schoolH

/requencies

ac! of school fees =2,>

*eer pressure =1

Attitudes towards math and science subFects =;>


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40

&istance from home to school =;>

ac! of support from the parents =.>

3nvironmental weather conditions =2>

ac! of learning resource =.>


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'i#% of %a4le# an! ?igure#

Ta4le 1 &ata on &(' questionnaire from selected schools

Ta4le / 9ariables and corresponding frequencies for item of the questionnaire

Ta4le . 'ummary of results according to items

?igure . *reference of students to day school and boarding school

?igure . 3ffect of friends and community

?igure 2 3ffect of distance on academic performance

?igure 3valuation if parents give students a lot of wor!

?igure / The economic status of the parents $whether they have the ability to gather for their

children:s education%

?igure 3 ;hether the *arent:s level of education is high or low

?igure 7 If the student has been absent from school during the term when the study was carried

out

?igure ; #ontribution of lac! of school fees to absenteeism

Hillary Ngetich-final Project Report

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