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).
