Determinants of students’ low enrolment in geography in secondary schools in kipkomo sub-county, west pokot county, Kenya

Abstract

Geography is one of the important subjects offered at the Secondary School Education. This is because it equips students with requisite knowledge, skills, values and attitude of the world’s physical features and human environment. Despite the importance, KNEC reports show that few students opt for Geography compared to other humanities. The purpose of this study was to investigate determinants of student’s low enrolement in Geography in secondary schools in Kipkomo sub-county, West Pokot County. The objectives of the study were: to establish how students’ attitude towards Geography influences their choice of the subject in secondary schools, to assess the extent to which availability of teaching-learning resources influence students enrolment in Geography in secondary schools, to investigate the influence of students’ previous performance in Geography on enrollment in secondary schools, to examine the influence of school policy on students enrolment in Geography in secondary schools. This study was based on Krumboltz Social Learning Theory. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and used concurrent mixed method approach where quantitative and qualitative data was collected. The target population consisted of 1049 form three students and 18 principals from 18 secondary schools in Kipkomo sub-county. Purposive sampling was used to select Kipkomo sub-county, 289 form three students and 7 principals. Stratified sampling was used to select schools and simple random sampling to select individual students. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from students and principals. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented as frequencies and percentages with the help of SPSS version 25 while qualitative data was organized thematically and presented in narration. The study established that attitude influenced students’ choice of geography as supported by 94 (32.5%) and 133 (46%) who strongly agreed and agreed that geography curriculum was overloaded and difficult and was equally supported by the interviewed principals. Further schools lacked teaching and learning resources where 92 (31.8%) and 106 (36.6%) strongly agreed and agreed that textbooks were inadequate, 92(31.8%), 106 (49.5%) (73.4%) strongly agreed and agreed that majority of the schools had no laboratories. Students’ previous performance in Geography influenced their enrolment in Geography as supported by 54 (18.7%) and 138 (47.8%) who strongly agreed and agreed while school policy on students’ enrolment in Geography was supported by 233 (80.6%) who revealed that timetabling was a major factor. The study concluded that majority of the students had a negative attitude towards geography, schools had inadequate textbooks and laboratories, students’ previous performance and school policy influenced their choice of Geography subject. The study recommended that the attitude towards Geography should be improved through motivation and career guidance, school management to notify the ministry of education of the dire need to have adequate teaching and learning resources and set aside funds to facilitate fieldwork studies so as to avoid over burdening parents to facilitate, teachers to be retooled on best practices and school policy on subject selection be made flexible by discouraging schools from making one humanity compulsory.