The relationship between attitude and academic performance in chemistry among secondary school students: a case of central Kisii district, Kenya

Abstract

Chemistry contributes to both social and economic development of man. However in Kenya the performance of learners at the end of secondary school course (form four) in chemistry National Examination levels has remained poor. It is on this basis that this study focused on the relationship between attitude and achievement/performance in chemistry to establish if this psychological aspect contributes to achievement amongst many other factors. The study was carried out in Kisii Central District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. It was guided by the following research objectives ; to determine the relationship between the students‟ attitude towards chemistry and their achievement in the subject, to determine the boys‟ and girls‟ attitude towards chemistry from single sex and mixed secondary schools, to establish the relationship between boys‟ and girls‟ attitude towards chemistry and their performance in the subject and to establish the relationship between the category of school and the attitude held towards chemistry. The study was advanced by a theoretical framework based on Thorndike‟s theory of connectionism. From the literature reviewed it was evident that other factors such as availability of resources, instructors, teaching methods among others have been considered. But little has been done concerning attitude in relation to achievement in chemistry especially in Kenya. Hence it was deemed necessary to delineate the study into this respective subject as it is considered singly during instruction and even evaluation. The study employed a cause comparative research (Ex-post-facto) design. Stratified, clustered and simple random sampling techniques were used to obtain the sample for study. Thirty secondary schools were sampled from a population of 85. The students sampled were 1172 out of the total district population of 6173 form four students. To answer the research questions and test the null hypotheses, data was gathered by a student questionnaire whose validity and reliability were first established (r = 0.7). Data analysis was done using both descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS program. Data analysis revealed that the students‟ attitude towards chemistry was generally neutral and this accounts for the dismal performance in chemistry. There was a difference in gender attitude towards the subject and male students perform better than female students. Type and category of school also play a role in the attitude a student holds towards chemistry and this at the end affects the overall performance. In view of the findings, it is recommended that relevant stake holders to continue promoting positive attitude towards chemistry and motivate students to work hard in order to achieve better in the subject as it cuts across all science related careers. It is therefore suggested that more research be done to establish the possible causes of the state of „confusion‟ that exists amongst learners that drive them to perform poor in chemistry, why there exists gender difference in attitude and performance, establish the relationship between the teachers‟ attitude towards the teaching of chemistry and extend the study to the entire country to establish the extent to which attitude influences academic performance.