Factors that influence the Students performance in Biology in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education: A case of selected schools in Eldoret Municipality

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence performance of students in Biology in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Eldoret municipality. Student, teacher and institutional factors have been shown to influence performance, performance in Biology has continued to be poor yet it is an important subject for the attainment of the MDGs and vision the 2030.This presented the need to find out whether this is the case in Eldoret Municipality. The objectives of the study were; to establish the students' factors, teacher related factors and institutional factors that influence performance in Biology in Eldoret Municipality. The study was based on the cybernetic theory by Norbert Wiener coined in 1948. The theory affirms that education is dependent on defined factors, which in a controlled environment will influence the outcome. The study was conducted through an ex post facto design. A total of ten secondary schools (out of 30) were selected to make up the sample. Target respondents were form three students and teachers of Biology (those teaching form three) within the municipality of Eldoret. The study sample (which was made up of 225 respondents; 200 students and 25 teachers) was obtained by using stratified sampling technique, because of the differences in characteristics, such as single sex schools verses mixed schools and differences in school category and nature of school. Simple random sampling was then used to choose the streams and particular students who participated in the study. Purposive sampling was used to obtain only the students who study Biology. The study employed questionnaires, observations and interviews that were administered to the respondents. The data collected was coded appropriately for analysis using statistical package for social science (SPSS). The results were presented using descriptive and inferential statistics and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study provided insights in understanding the factors that influence performance of students in Biology in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). The research established that student, teacher and institutional factors influence performance in Biology in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).