The effects of Students' socio economic background and attitude on Academic performance in Kiswahili language: a case of secondary schools in Baringo District

Abstract

In a school setup, the pupils and teachers come from different socio-economic backgrounds. Socio-economic background and attitude have been identified as some of the factors affecting the participation and performance of pupils in school either negatively or positively. This study investigated the effects of students' socio-economic background and attitude on academic performance in Kiswahili language. The study adopted ex post facto research design and it was guided by the General System Theory by Ludwig Von Bertalanffy. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, four specific research objectives were addressed, that is, to find out the socio-economic factors affecting learners performance in Kiswahili language; to determine the effects of socioeconomic background on learners' performance, to examine the effect of attitude of students towards Kiswahili language and to suggest ways of improving the students' performance in Kiswahili language.A total of 270 respondents participated in this study. Multi-stage sampling was used whereby schools were selected proportionately from the four divisions in the area of study. Headteachers, HODs of languages, and Guidance and counseling from the selected schools were automatically selected for participation in the study. Form three students were also selected through random sampling for inclusion in the study sample. The study used questionnaire, interview schedule and document analysis in data collection. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques like percentages, means, frequency tables and modes, as well as inferential statistics in which the Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient and chi-square were used.The study findings revealed that lack of school fees, inadequate relevant learning materials; negative attitude towards Kiswahili; use of 'sheng' and mother tongue; language policy in schools and inadequate teaching staff in Kiswahili language negatively affected the performance of Kiswahili language. The study therefore recommends that poverty reduction strategies need to be adopted through introduction of reliable sources of income to supplement agriculture; in addition, policies should be reviewed to increase credit facilities for the poor. There is also a need to sensitize parents, teachers, school management and the entire community/society on the need for embracing positive attitude towards Kiswahili language. Finally, teachers who teach Kiswahili language should regularly attend in-service courses to keep themselves abreast of the emerging issues in Kiswahili language