FACTORS INFLUENCING LOW ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN

RURAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UGANDA

(A CASE STUDY OF NYERO SUBCOUNTY-KUMI DISTRICT)

By

SOIGI PHILLISTERS

1153-07234-00705

A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND OPEN E

LEARNING AT KAMPALA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY FOR FULFILMENT OF

AWARD IN BACHELOR OF ARTS IN EDUCATION.

September 2018

DECLARATION

This report is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other

University or for any other award.

Signature ~ Date ~SOIGI PHILLISTERS

1153-07234-00705

APPROVAL

This research report has been submitted to the College of Education Open Distance and

e-learning for examination with my approval as Supervisor.

Signature ~ Date ~

Supervisor: DR ONGODIA SIMON PETER

DEDICATIONI thank the almIghty God who enabled me ID finish this work I dedicate this work to~

complete my course. I also thank my friends first & all Isaac lyamet who advised meon how to do it My friends like Emily Deborah Jenifer and Angela for always beingtheir

UI

ACKNOWLDGEMENTIt takes combined effort to complete any course of study. I am grateful to my

supervisor Ms. Dr Ongodia Simon Peter for her guidance and ideas upon which this

dissertation has been successfully written plus all the lecturers especially Ms Edith

Gwokyalya, Me Laaki Samson in the college of Education, Open, Distance and e

Learning

I am also grateful to my mother Ms Nyaburu Loyce for her love, financial support,

guidance and encouragement throughout this course.

A number of colleagues supported my efforts throughout this research work. I wish to

appreciate them for their helpful input at various stages of the research work

I also wish to appreciate the contribution made by the respondents and the typist.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTSDECLARATION

APPROVAL ii

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLDGEMENT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LISTOFTABLES vii

ABSTRACT viii

CHAPTER ONE 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background tothe study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 3

1.3 Study Objectives 3

1.4 Specific Objectives 3

1.5 Significance of the study 3

1.6 Scope of the Study 4

1.7 Conceptual Framework 4

CHAPTER TWO 6

LITERATUREREVIEW 6

2.0 INTRODUCTION 6

2.lConcept of Uganda secondary education 6

2.2 Effects of teachers education and teachers training 7

2.3 Misappropriate use of funds by educationpersonnel’s 9

2.4 Comparing the performance of the students in past years 10

2.5 Conclusion of chapter two 14

CHAPTER THREE 15

METHODOLOGY 15

3.0 Introduction 15

3.1 Area of Study 15

3.2 Study Design 15

V

3.3 Sample Size .15

3.4 Sample Procedure 15

3.5 Methods of Data Collection 16

3.5.1 Interviews 16

3.5.2 Questionnaires 16

3.5.3 Focus Group Discussion 16

3.5.4 Site Visits 16

3.6 Data Processing 17

3.6.1 Editing 17

3.6.2 Coding 17

3.6.3 Tabulation 17

3.8 Ethical Consideration 17

CHAPTER FOUR 18

PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS 18

4.0 Introduction 18

4.2 Background Characteristics of Respondents 19

4.4 Education Status of Respondents 21

4.5 Occupations of respondents 22

4.6 Qualitative results from respondents and key informants 22

CHAPTER FIVE 26

DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 26

5.1 Conclusion of the study 26

5.2 Discussion of the findings 27

5.3 Recommendations for the study 28

References 31

APPENDICES 32

APPENDIX 1 32

QUESTIONAIRES 32

vi

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: showing the number of respondents 19

Table 2: Showing Marital Status of Respondents 19

Table 3: showing pass levels of students in UCE 21

Table 4: show educational level of respondent 22

Table 5:showing occupational characteristics of responded 22

VII

ABSTRACT

The general objective was to establish the factors influencing low academic

performance of students in rural secondary schools, The objectives were; To find out

the factors that determine the academic performance of students in rural secondary

schools and to discover how the above identified factors affect performance

This study involved the use of an exploratory research design to explore the causes of

low academic performance of students in rural secondary schools.

One-hundred (100) respondents were interviewed. The study population comprised of

teachers, students, parents and local leaders. There were 20 parents, 15 teachers,60

students and 05 selected local leaders.

The study considered various interventions and the cost effectiveness of the

interventions. In improving performance it must be stressed that there are no general

rules, what is most important to invest in is the quality of management. Therefore the

main conclusion of this study is that it is important to invest in the quality of

management. When the quality of management improves, the effectiveness of other

interventions will increase as well. Investing in the quality of management means

training an effective support structure at the district level and an effective inspection

apparatus.

The researcher recommends that Children with severe physical, sensory or speaking

behavioral deficits must not be educated in regular mainstream schools (inclusive

schools). Advocacy by parents, teachers and community organizations is needed to

promote institutional changes to foster these students’ academic success,

Support structures like outreach programmers, family- school collaborations need to be

established to educate and acquaint parents with their children’s school system and

importance of educating children.

VIII

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter the study covers the background of the study, statement of the problem

of the study, main objectives and specific objectives of the study, significance of the

study, scope of the study and conceptual frame work.

1.1 Background to the study

Globally, 570 million children are enrolled in schooL The number of children of school

going age who were out of school fell from 103 million in 1999 to73 million in 2006. In

that year, secondary school enrolment in developing countries reached 88% on average

up from 83% in 2000.In sub-Saharan Africa, the net secondary school enrolment ratio

has only recentlyreached7l% even after a significant jump in enrolment that began in

2000. Around 38 million children of secondary school going age in this region are still

out of school. (UN millennium Development Goal report on Uganda)The majority of the

estimated 27.2 million Ugandans live in rural areas. According to the Uganda Bureau of

Statistics, 23 million people (84.6%) live in rural areas, while 4.1 million live in urban

centers. In Uganda, the introduction of universal secondary education (USE) initially

resulted in an increase in net Secondary enrolment from 62% in 2005 to 86% 2008/9.

Recently, data show that secondary school enrolment is no longer improving with a fall

to 84% in 2010/11. Prior to the introduction of universal secondary education in

Uganda, the status of secondary education in Uganda, the status of secondary

education sub-sector in Uganda was dismally poor. Currently, a large proportion of

children that enroll in secondary school do not complete a full course of secondary

education. Some of the causes include high repetition and dropout rates, poor teacher

and head teacher attendance, large numbers of under and over age enrollees, and low

learning achievement that is poor performance most especially in Uganda national

examination even for those that complete the course. In Uganda, the official net

enrolment rate increased to more than 90% the gender gap narrowed and in 2017, the

1

country achieved gender parity for secondary education. The percentage of students

that passed the Uganda national examination improved from 74% in 2012 to 82% in

2016. Average test and examination results improve gradually. Never the less the

country still faces many challenges. First of all, although net enrolment rates seem to

be high, student’s attendance rates are low. Drop out and repetition is high, resulting in

low progression and completion rates Moreover, although there seems to be a slight

improvement in learning achievements, the quality of education remains low. Average

scores on tests and Uganda national examinations are below 40%. In 2017, the

average results for science subjects for Uganda national examinations were even below

30%. Many students leave school without mastering literacy and mathematics. (USE

policy brief 10, February 2006) As a result of large growth of in enrolments for example

in Zambia after the introduction of the USE program, Zambia came close to the

realization of the millennium Development Goals on education. Now there is almost

parity in secondary education. There are however, large differences by grade and by

region especially pertaining academic performance both in the progressive and national

examinations. In almost every region at the national level, test and examination results

have remained unstable, increase in enrolments and the large growth in the number of

examination candidates notwithstanding, about 70% of the students in candidate

classes do not attain minimum level of performance for English and no more than 6%

achieve the desired levels. For mathematics, the test results improve but the

examination results show an opposite trend. The national assessments do not seem to

recognize this development.

Finally though results are tending towards stabilizing at the national level, they are not

at the provincial level. Even at the provincial level, there are relatively large fluctuations

from year to year and this suggests a more fundamental problem and even then, at

lower levels, learning achievements are not stable.(Antonie de Kemp, January

2008)This study therefore seeks to unearth the factors influencing low academic

performance of students in school so as to assist education stakeholders develop

2

appropriate strategies to ensure improved academic achievement of students and

performance indicators in schools.

1.2 Statement of the Prob~em

Students in private schools perform better than those in public schools, grant aided

schools or community schools. Moreover, there is a double difference estimate for the

examination figures between urban and rural schools and as well as results in urban

schools are better than those in rural schools(Eilor Joseph 2004)Education performance

in terms of students’ numeric, reading, sciences and art subjects’ knowledge and skills

have deteriorated over the years(USE policy brieflO,February 2006)and the most

notable constraint to achievement of full benefits of USE is low learning

achievement(UN MDG report on Uganda, New Vision September 26th 2008)

1.3 Study Objectives

The general objective was to establish the factors influencing low academic

performance of students in rural secondary schools.

1.4 Specific Objectives

1. To find out the factors that determine the academic performance of students in rural

secondary schools.

2. To discover how the above identified factors affect performance

1.5 Significance of the study

Considerably this research focused on the factors that influence the academic of

students in school but has tended to overlook specific factors in the rural areas. Again

researchers offered varied complementary and conflicting explanations concerning

3

academic performance but although these explanations and previous studies have

contributed substantially to the field, they have primarily been general with less

emphasis to specific factors influencing performance of students in rural secondary

schools in Uganda. There was therefore an urgent need to unearth specific factors

applicable to rural schools and students to assist stakeholders in education develop

appropriate strategies to improve the quality of education and performance indicators.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study was conducted in nyero sub-county in Kumi district in Eastern Uganda. The

target people included parents, head teachers, teachers, local councilors and pupils. To

be selected in households was studied to provide their opinions, views, perspectives

and information on the topic of the study. The study explored factors influencing low

performance of students in rural secondary schools in Uganda

1.7 Conceptual Framework.

The study covered independent variables like household tasks, scholastic materials,

supervision of student’s home work, absenteeism, welfare of the students, education

level of parents, attitudes, economic status, demoralization, and supervision and how

these interact leading to dependent variable of performance. It also covered other

contributory factors like the role of school management committee, inspectors of

schools, peers, local councilors, community attitudes and teachers’ contribution. This is

the framework upon which the study was based. It mapped out the hypothetical

linkages among the factors that influence performance of pupils in progressive tests

and the national examinations. The other factors taken into consideration are school

environment related issues like high student: teacher ratio, understaffing, teacher

absenteeism, negligence of duty and limited instructional materials, physical access

actual distance from home to school and socio cultural beliefs that is giving priority to

boys as opposed to girls.

4

LB Condusion of chapter one

In this chapter the study discussed the background of the study, statement of the

prob’em, study objectives, specific objectives, significance of the study and scope of the

study.

5

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATUREREVIEW

2M INTRODUCTIONThese chapter outlines the literatures that are related to the study under sub themes of

the concept of Uganda secondary education, Effects of teacher’s education and

teachers training ,Misappropriate use of funds by education personnel’s, Comparing the

performance of the students in past years

2.lConcept of Uganda secondary educationUniversal secondary Education (U S E) was one of the government of Uganda’s main

policy tools for achieving poverty reduction and human development and realizing the

millennium development goals for education. It was introduced following a political

commitment by president Museveni that the government would meet the cost of

secondary education of four children per family. This commitment was soon extended

to allow all people that wanted to access secondary education to do so. Enrolment leapt

from 2.5 to 6 million and annual expenditure on education increased by 9°k. Net

enrolment rose from 62.3% to 86.5%. The ratio of boys to girls narrowed dramatically

in both primary and secondary schools. The increased access to education of the

poorest groups in society normally hasa negative effect on the average examination and

test results. There is also a positive correlation between educational background and

income of the parents and test and examination results of the student (White 2004)

Precisely, this effect may explain why in the short run in many developing countries the

effects of increased attention to education may seem to be disappointing. This effect is

an example of vanishing benefits. The results are there although they do not seem to

be there (Ravallion 2001).

Comparative studies between Uganda and Zambia show a significant relation between

income, education of parents and test and examination results of students In 2005 in

Zambia, the examination results for English of the 20% of students from the most

developed regions were on average 20% higher than the results of the lowest

6

developed regions (Antonie de Kemp, January 2008)Examination results for English

,mathematics and science subjects in Zambia and Uganda for the years 2015, 2Ol6and

2017 have been a cause of debate as to which variable is most influential in

determining results. In literature, there has been a long debate about the relation

between class size and learning achievement. This debate is mainly based on evidence

in industrialized countries and seems to be inconclusive.

Michaelowa (2003) suggests a concave quadratic function for the relation between class

size and examination results. In this specification students get the best results in a class

size of about 60. However for both countries, there seems to be an inverse relation

between student-teacher ratio and learning achievements. The students-classroom ratio

is also included because it is also highly correlated with examination and test results.

Results for the Zambian schools point to the effect of good management. In many

schools in Zambia, average examination results have large fluctuations from year to

year. Fluctuations of 30-40% are no exception.

The growth of enrolments and a high teacher turnover cannot explain these

fluctuations. They point to several weaknesses that have to do with capacity

constraints, severe under funding, a lack of qualified and motivated teachers and head

teachers and a lack of effective management at the school and district level (Antonie de

Kemp, January 2008)According to independent evaluation group (lEG) of the World

Bank for basic education in Ghana, high pupil-teacher ratio, and high pupil-classroom

ratio have negative effect on learning achievement. Schools with double shifts do not

have significantly better results than schools without.

2.2 Effects of teachers educat~on and teachers train~ngThere is a significant effect of teacher education and teacher training. Schools with high

percentages of teachers that have had training in the previous year perform better. In

Uganda’s schools, many times children have to share their books with other pupils but

these children would perform better if all children had their own books. Still, there is

investment in books and has expected results that is improving performance of children

7

in both progressive and national examinations, however, there is still emphasis on rote

learning which may not improve final examination results as students will lack

applicabilfty of knowledge (White 2004)The majority of the estimated 27.2 million

Ugandans live in rural areas. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 23 million

people (84.6%) live in rural areas, while 4.1 million live in urban Centre’s. Therefore,

failure to provide basic services to rural communities means neglecting almost the

entire country. Results from the 2017 Uganda national exams paint yet another grim

picture. VVhile performance generally declined, the exams were a disaster for rural

schools, as many did not have a single candidate pass in division one (the highest

grade achievable). What this means is that few or no rural secondary school student

were admitted to advanced level schools in the country —secondary, because of poor

grades, but also because of lack of money. Good secondary schools in towns charge

about $250 per term, yet the majority of people living in rural areas do not earn a $1 a

day.

Failure to enroll at a good secondary school limits rural children’s chances of attending

university and getting a good job.

This perpetually keeps children and their parents in poverty because they will never

enjoy the regular income salaried people do. The majority of rural people still fetch

water from stagnant dirty wells, which exposes them to diseases, the treatment of

which will take up whatever little money they may have. All these facts are known and

well documented by the relevant government departments. In fact such statistics are

used to beg for foreign aid which aid is meant for promoting education, health, social

security, water and sanitation and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, when this aid comes in

and is added to locally raised government revenue, it is misappropriated or

extravagantly used by the elite in the leadership.

A bulk of local revenue and aid money is out rightly swindled and the balance officially

used by those in leadership to pay their salaries, allowances, office furnishings and to

buy luxury 4X4s. priority is not given to improving education in rural Uganda. What is

8

left over is sent to the rural areas to provide basic services. Unfortunately for Uganda,

local governments, the highest being a district council, just provide another layer of

bureaucracy and another place for public funds to be misused

The districts receive little money for the maintenance of rural roads, construction of

classrooms, among other activities, but much of it is shared between officials. Tenders

to construct classrooms and roads are given to the campaign managers of district

councilors, who will often use sub-standard materials to save enough money for

themselves and to pay bribes, there is very little chance of concrete action ever being

taken against them except, perhaps, if donors demand it.

2.3 Misappropriate use of funds by education personnel’sCorruption has become so endemic in Uganda, and is almost an accepted way of life,

that when someone is appointed or elected to a public office they think it is now their

turn to take advantage. The lack of civic competence among rural people makes the

situation worse. People from rural areas treat the provision of services like education as

a gift or favor from the government. They do not see it as their right to demand it and,

therefore, settle for anything. They will never know, for example, how much money has

been passed to their local leaders for a road or a school.

Even if shoddy work is done, they remain thankful because they never expected it in

the first place. Public servants have got away with a lot of stealing because they face

no sanctions from the beneficiaries. In fact, corrupt people are glorified in the villages

because they are the ones with money and have the capacity to solve some of their

problems, such as driving a critically ill person to hospital, driving couples around on

their wedding day and sometimes building churches and mosques, while some few may

donate desks and balls to schools quality education, clean water and good roads are a

luxury in these areas where people are commuting between their gardens and internally

displaced peoples camps. It is no wonder that up to 60% of the population in northern

Uganda still live below the poverty line and up to 35% in the East, compared with 16%

9

in the Central and 20% in the West of the country. The Ugandan president, Yoweri

Museveni, was voted into power mainly by the Western and Central regions and there is

a tendency to reward loyalty. The majority of ministers and other public servants are

appointed or recruited from these two regions. This does not suggest that the situation

is so good in the rural areas of Central and Western Uganda, but it is better than the

rural North and East.

2.4 Comparing the performance of the students in past yearsThere was a greater decline in the candidates’ performance in the 2Ol7Uganda

certificate of education (UCE), according to the results released on February. The pass

rate for 2017 was 80.2 percent compared to 86.5 percent in 2016 and 88.2 percent in

2015. Of the 463,631 students who sat for the 2017 UCE 89,306 (19.3percent)

completely failed all the ten subjects taught at ordinary school level. This implies the

number of failures shot up by over 50 percent, compared to the two previous years. In

2016, there were 56,603 (13.5 percent) students who failed whereas 47,717 (11.8

percent) students failed UCE in 2015.While releasing the results UNEB executive

secretary, MR Odongo attributed the poor UCE performance is due to teachers and

students’ absenteeism, late reporting to and early departure from school. The poor

performance was attributed to teachers’ dependency on past papers as teaching

materials instead of developing concepts and reasoning as they teach and candidates’

low literacy level which affects the candidate’s level of understanding questions. Low

levels of inspecting schools to evaluate their administration and teachers as well as

insecurity in some parts of the country were the other factors forwarded by the minister

of education and sport honorable Janet katanha Museveni experts say these same

reasons have been recycled every year; so they wonder why the 2017 results greatly

declined. Out of the 463,631 students who sat for 2O17UCE, only 17,021 (3.7 percent)

candidates passed in division one compared to3l, 969 (7.6 percent) in

2016.Anotherl54, 774 (33.4 percent) students passed in division two whilel38, 796

(29.9percent) passed in division three. 63,761 (13.8 percent) students passed in

Division Four. The performance per subject show art subjects was the best done

10

subject and Science subjects was the worst done. The percentage of those students

who passed in division one reduced compared to that of 2016.

In 2016, there were3l, 969 or 7.6 percent students in grade one as opposed to 31,971

or 7.9 percent in 2015 Statistics from UNEB show 486,312 candidates from 10,511

schools registered for UCE in 2017 compared to 444,107 who sat in 2016 and 435,063

in 2015. Of the 463,631 candidates who sat for 20l7exarns 86.3 percent were UCE

beneficiaries and 13.7 percent were private students. Analysts say UNEB’s becoming

stricter on issues of cheating could have prevented the usual passing with flying colours

exhibited by many city schools hence the poor results. The results show Kampala

schools did not perform very well. Rural schools are said to have maintained their usual

low performance and by implication, they never hope for any better results than that.

Indeed, Mr.Odongo said that the poor performance in 2O17UCE was due to tight

measures against examination malpractices. The (UNEB) scouts did a commendable job

by apprehending and exposing those who attempted to involve themselves in

examination malpractice,” stated Mr. Odongoa while releasing the results at Ministry of

Education headquarters. UNEB deployed nearly 7,011 scouts across the country to

monitor exams. But teachers claim students failed UCE because the exams were set in

hard-to-understand English for ordinary level candidates.”The language used in

examining the students was above their understanding level, thus most of them

couldn’t get the questions right,” said Justus Malisaba, a teacher who participated in

marking.Charles Oundo an examiner in UCE said: “The category of questions set

needed a high level of reasoning. The questions required thinking and application and

students had not been prepared enough.” He added that teachers are preparing

students to pass exams by overusing past papers so when questions were set

differently, the students could not properly answer. “And some teachers, especially

those teaching science subjects, lack sound knowledge to handle certain topics and end

up not teaching certain topics. This was evident in the rate at which studentsthat left

many unanswered questions.

11

Other teachers attributed the low performance to indiscipline among students, and

transfer of teachers to new environm~nts which they may find unfriendly. They also

added that high teacher-student ratio continue to make matters worse. “The system of

transferring teachers has negatively affected our teaching morale. Teachers have to

first cope with the topography of the area before they report to class, and students lose

valuable time to study in the process,” says Opunojulius, a teacher at Nyero rock high

School in Kumi District. He adds: “Some teachers and students report late to school and

leave early. Again some students nowadays waste a lot of time drinking alcohol because

alcohol is currently affordable as it is packed in sachets of as low as Shs500.”Education

analysts also say that change to the conveyor belt system of marking makes it hard to

bribe examiners unlike the old system where examiners could mark particular centers

could be a reason behind the poor performance.

The conveyor belt system is where a question paper is marked by several teachers each

specializing in marking particular questions or sections. It is also said that some of the

schools which have been performing well were doing leaked exams and UNEB seems to

have become tougher on exam leakages hence the poor performance. Emolit John

Bosco the head teacher of nyero rock high school said ‘I comment on the constant poor

performances of students from poor backgrounds. Most of the students who pass UCE

are from well to do families, how I wish the structure of exams change for those in rural

areas, at least if they could sit for their own district based exams and the urban pupils

where all facilities are available in school are comprehensively examined and their exam

different from that of their rural counterparts.

The high dropout rate is the first major threat. The major reason for this being lack of

interest, and parents of the beneficiary students seem not to have seen the benefits of

the program and are relaxed to support the system as well as their own children. (M0ES

1998, guidelines on policy, roles and stakeholders in the implementation of(USE).

Under the school facilities grant, the government has devoted a lot of resources to

procure textbooks, construct classrooms and teachers’ houses, and purchase furniture

12

for students. Nevertheless, these improvements may not always translate into better

education performance by students.

Results from a national assessment of secondary education performance taken

between 1996 and 2010, for example, suggests that education performance in terms of

students’ numeric, reading, science subjects and art subject knowledge and skills as

well as grades in UCE examination deteriorated following the introduction of USE and

the consequential withdraw of parental support. Under this program the government of

Uganda abolished tuition fees and parents and teachers association charges, Despite

the abolition of these charges, secondary education was not made compulsory neither

was it made entirely free, since parents were still expected to contribute pens, exercise

books, clothing-uniform, and even bricks for classroom construction through community

work. During the implementation however, the government realized that parents were

not willing to contribute large amounts of bricks and labor, partly because of them any

other demands on their time.

Emerging issues first, institutional challenges to the delivery of quality education

services, and corruption are major. An expenditure tracking study conducted by the

economic policy research center, Kampala 1997 found that by that time, only 35% of

the funds released by the central government to schools were reaching the intended

beneficiaries.

Corruption was adversely affecting USE in various ways, including shoddy work,

demoralization of teachers and poor performance of USE students in national

examinations, Parental and community contributions of labor and building materials and

other forms of support have failed to materialize. This is most likely on account of poor

community mobilization, and the engagement of parents in other income generating

activities ignoring education. The reported increase in the percentage of students that

passed UCE from 74% in 2010 to 82% in 2015 is just a general analysis. No

demarcation is indicated to highlight whether the performance even for those in up

country schools in Uganda. Liberalization of education has made wealthier parents to

13

take their children to private schools. However, the government is yet fully to take

advantage of the liberalization of education sector to maximize the impact of U S E.

there is scope for the government to work more in partnership with private education

service providers, to maximize the synergies between U S. E and liberalization of

education. Targeting of the poor remains a major challenge, in order to reduce

inequality both in access to education and in the quality of education, the U S E

program should aim at increasing expenditure per student in U S E schools in rural

areas and for the urban poor.

By so doing the government would have more resources at its disposal to focus on

improving the quality of education and reducing dropout rates of its operation where it

is most needed Most of the literature written (Bategeka, 2004) only focus on the issues

of access, quality, equity and challenges with less emphasis on factors influencing low

performance of students in rural secondary schools. This research will therefore focus

on this topic so as to fill in gaps of missing information and to add to the already

existing knowledge, and provide stakeholders with information to improve education

performance indicators so as to cater for even children in rural secondary schools. A

choice between quantity and quality is no kind of choice, but these are the difficult

constraints under which Ugandan government officials in the health and education

departments operate. Which should it be: all children get a smattering of education with

only a tiny number of the most persistent and determined managing to get decent

grades Or exclude half the children who actually in the rural? Not an easy decision.

2~5 Condus~on of chapter twoThese chapter discussed the literatures that are related to the study under sub themes of the

concept of Uganda secondary education, Effects of teacher’s education and teachers

training, Misappropriate use of funds by education personnel’s, comparing the

performance of the students in past years

14

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the methods of investigation that were used by the researcher. It

is composed of research design, sample size and sampling procedure, sources of data,

tools of data collection,

3.1 Area of Study

The study was carried out in Nyero Sub-County 7 kilo- meters west of Kumi district

headquarters on Kumi-Ngora road. It is bordered to the East by kanyum Sub-county.

Nyero Sub County has a population of about 3800 people.

3.2 Study Design

This study involved the use of an exploratory research design to explore the causes of

low academic peiformance of students in rural secondary schools.

3.3 Samp~e Size

One-hundred (100) respondents were interviewed. The study population comprised of

teachers, students, parents and local leaders. There were 20 parents, 15 teachers,60

students and 05 selected local leaders. A total of 05 selected schools within nyero Sub-

county was studied. The selected schools includes Nyero rock high school; Nyero ark

peas secondary school, Aporuokol memorial secondary school, Nyero light college

secondary school and Nyero high school

3.4 Samp~e Procedure

Cluster sampling was used to select the 05 schools out of total number in the sub

county. Students and parents were identified randomly for quantitative data while

teachers and local leaders were interviewed as key informants.

15

3.5 Methods of Data CoNection

3.5.1 Interviews

This involved face-to-face interaction between the researcher and the respondent s.

This method was preferred because it was time saving and flexible. This method was

used with interview guide, this consisted of questions related to the theme of study.

3.5.2 Questionnaires

These were developed and distributed to the respondents by the researcher. Questions

aimed at eliciting relevant information from the respondents.

3.5.3 Focus Group Discussion

One focus group discussion was held with a representative sample of student,

teachers, parents and local leaders. The objective was to have participants brainstorm

on the causes of low performance among students in rural secondary schools with

specific focus on Nyero Sub-county. The focus group discussion composed of about ten

people. A Focus discussion guide was used to allow flexibility, in-depth probing, face-to-

face interaction and observation of non-verbal behavior. The researcher will facilitate

the discussion and a friend will act as a note taker.

3.5.4 Site Visits

In addition to the above, Site visits to selected households and schools were made. The

15 parents were interviewed from their homes. The express aim was to assess the

responsiveness of parents to their children’s education, to find out if the children were

given enough time to read at home, at the same time assess attitudes and perceptions

of parents to education of children and take a general observation of the home

environment to find out its possible implications on the children and their likely

academic performance

16

3.6 Data Processing

3.6.1 Editing

Editing was done after collecting data to minimize errors by checking on completeness,

accuracy and uniformity. Errors were corrected and responses were put in the right

place.

3.6.2 Coding

After editing the data, coding followed thus classifying or grouping similar responses to

the questions into meaningful categories or classes or groups in relation to variables

under study. The response was used to formulate a general response category.

3.6.3 Tabulation

Questionnaires were scanned through, counting the number of responses falling into a

particular category and recording them. Tabulation aimed at giving a clear presentation

of various responses and significance of response depending on the magnitude of the

responding number.

3.8 Ethical Consideration

Before carrying out the study, the researcher got permission from relevant authorities

(L.C’s) and informs consent of the respondents was sought before any interview is

done. This was done with the use of introduction letter and consent form.

3.9 Conclusion of chapter three

In this chapter the study summarized the methods and the procedures that were used

to collect the information and data from the respondents this information and data

helped the researcher to meet the objective goals.

17

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

4.0 Introduction

This chapter thoroughly examines and analyses the data gathered on the sampled

respondents in understudying the factors influencing low academic performance of

students in rural secondary schools in Uganda

Responses from multiple questions in some cases were more than the sample size

as respondents had the option to choose more than one answer.

Research on students’ academic performance tends to utilize aggregate generalized

data about both pupils in the rural areas and those urban areas although those in rural

areas represent a large group with varied histories and socio-economics some rural

pupils are among the poorest performers in the nation. As well, closer examination

reveals that pupils in the rural schools experience economic difficulties and have not

achieved good performance. It is generally noticed that at least 20% of the children in

a classroom get poor marks. Ultimately, many interventions may be poorly informed

and designed because they are based on inaccurate and aggregated data. As result,

many underachieving and disadvantaged rural children are not receiving the services

and resources that they desperately need. Failure to address causes of poor

performance and other barriers perpetuates vicious cycle that does not improve the

performance of pupils in rural areas.

The present study intended to ascertain the relative importance of certain factors as

they relate to academic performance. Drawing on the various areas of research

including among other studies on parental influence, and delinquency provided a

framework the current study.

18

4~2 Background Characteristics of Respondents

A hundred respondents were interviewed using objective and structured type of

questionnaires and interview schedules. These respondents included 20 Parents,

l5Teachers, 60 students from secondary and 5 selected local leaders

Tab~e 1: showing the number of respondents

S/NO~ Category Number of respondents

1 PARENTS 20

2 TEACHERS 15

3 STUDENTS 60

4 LOCAL LEADERS 5

TOTAL 100

The ages of the respondents ranged from 18-25 for students in the secondary schools

and that of other respondents ranged 25-60 years out of all the 100 respondents46

were females and 54 were males. The ethnic was predominantly Iteso though 03 of the

teachers were Bagisu and OlKumam.Among the 100 respondents besides students, the

majority were married 32, 60 were single and 08 widowed.

Table 2: Showing Marital Status of Respondents

Marital status No of respondents

Single 60

Married 32

Windowed 08

Total 100

19

Students Statistics and UCE Pass Levels The number of students in the schools studied

ranged from 420 to 850. The numbers of boys were slightly higher than that of girls. In

senior four classes the numbers currently (2018) ranged from 90-130 for the various

schools. A comparative analysis of grades at senior four was taken by the researcher

and the findings were as follow

20

Table 3: showIng pass levels of students in UCE

School/year Numbe Of candidate % pas at UCE

r S age s

2008 2010 201 2012 201 2014 201 201 201

1 3 5 6 7

Nyero rock high 30 49 50 52 59 34 28 35

school

Nyero ark piece 87 79 95 102 25 29 33 41

secondary school

Nyero town 98 104 82 97 51 44 39 57 —

college secondary

school

Nyero light college 66 70 83 94 49 32 40 31 —

secondary school

Mukuramemoral 51 58 73 89 58 49 55 67 —

secondary school

Aporuokolmemora 58 65 77 92 33 31 35 44 —

I secondary school

Christ the king 86 71 95 108 53 44 66 40 —

secondary school

Source: head teachers records

Enrolment and the number of candidates sitting UCE have increased over the years with

a little improvement in performance being registered. In addition, there has been

remarkable fluctuation in pass levels and grades and these vary from one school to

another.

4.4 Education Status of Respondents.

Since the education of respondents relates to other soclo-economic variables in the

study, it was important to know the education and literacy levels of the area. The study21

found out that the education status of all the respondents interviewed ranged from

senior two advanced level

Table 4: show educational level of respondent

Educational level Number of respondents

P1-p7 70

S1-s4 12 —

S4and above 15

Never gone to school — 03

4~5 Occupations of respondents

Sixty (60) of the respondents were secondary students, peasant farmers were twenty

six (26) in number, eight( 08) civil servants and six ( 06) were self employed

Table 5:showing occupational characteristics of responded

Occupation Number of respondents

students 60

Civil servants 08

Self-employment 06

peasants 26

Total 100

4.~6 Qualitative results from respondents and key informants

Parental influence the role of parental involvement in facilitating academic performance

is a widely accepted notion~ In general, findings show that parents exert great

influence. In conceptualizing parental influence, the research focused on parenting22

styles. Authoritative parenting is positively related to achievements of good grades. In

contrast to nyero sub county parents are less involved in attending school activities and

monitoring academic. programs, this has greatly affected performance of children in

school. Cultural perspectives and socialization practices coupled with family values and

socialization experiences. Acculturations and cultural factors like drinking ‘Ajono’ and

less emphasis on education by the community generally affects the academic

performance of children. Students are much more influenced and experience great

barriers. Only very few manage to excel academically despite of the cultural barriers

along the way. There is more cultural emphasis on gardening work and trapping of

birds, fishing and herding cows as a means of prospering in life compared to education

The negative impact of delinquent peer affiliations. The study revealed that Peers have

a significant influence on educational aspirations and outcomes. Adolescents conform to

peers and engage in anti-social or deviant behavior. More over negative peer

experiences like rejection by peers were found to be associated with negative academic

out comes. Children associating with delinquent peers have developed poor attitude

towards school and demonstrate low academic achievement. Ant social and delinquent

behaviors have consistently been found to be associated with poor grades. These

findings show that peer affiliation and delinquency influence not only attitudes towards

school but also actual achievement of outcomes.

Language difficulties together with socio- historical conditions discourage students

leading to poor grades in class students are certain that some teachers pronounce or

speak English in a way that causes them to be in a dense of what the teacher is trying

to convey. Others complain that teachers do not explain lessons clearly as a result they

do not understand the material. For that reason they did not score good marks on

assignments and exams. Consequently, students are unable to grasp lessons and

eventually perform poorly. Some pupils blame teachers for not explaining lessons in

Ateso, according to them they understand Ateso better than English, so teachers should

sometimes explain lessons in Ateso especially when they fail to make students

understand in English.23

Famine that was there in (2016) in the Teso sub region had made children abandon

schooling a bid to fend for survivaL Those that still go to school, study with hungry

stomachs and therefore attention spans and concentration levels are low, the res~Ult

eventually being inability to grasp class work and have poor performance

Upon listening to some teachers, it seems that the blame rests upon students and

parents. Teachers reported that students were not serious about their education citing

the fact that students do not respect their teachers and do not do their assignment as

instructed. Other teachers said that students perform poorly because their parents were

not responsible. Accordingly, if parents could make sure that their children revise their

lessons daily and did their assignments the performance could improve

On their side, parents have a different opinion on the cause of poor performance in

secondary schools. Parents blame the fact that classes are overcrowded, explaining that

there are often 80-150 students in one class. Teachers are unable to monitor students

individually; consequently teachers cannot identify their student’ weaknesses and

address them specifically.

Teacher absenteeism ,parents blame teaches who simply tell students to write down

notes from the blackboard without explaining the content, according to them it is

impossible for students to perform well when their teachers only give them notes that

they cannot figure out and do not give enough exercises to help them put their

knowledge in practice. Students therefore fail their exams because they did not

understand the lessons in the first place.

Medical problems, these conditions have been reported to have an independent effect

resulting in poor performance; worm infestations cause stunted growth, epilepsy, sickle

cell anemia increase fossilization of children and increase absenteeism resulting in lower

academic scores.

Emotional problems, caused by conditions such as chronic neglect, sexual abuse,

parents ‘divorce, have long-term distress on these children resulting in academic under

24

achievement. These conditions also cause low self-esteem and loss of motivation to

study. It is reported that HIV infected children exhibit significant emotional problems

due to stigma hence deteriorating school performance.

Poor social economic background. It has been noted that children from poor social

economic status families perform poorly at school. Malnutrition due to poverty coupled

with low education status of parents adversely affect their cognitive development, such

children experience parental attitudes which do not motivate them to study and an

unsatisfactory home environment, which does not encourage. Learning while witnessing

domestic violence in the family stresses adverse life events and aggressive behavior all

in children and does not give them a peaceful atmosphere to revise their notes.

4J Condusion of chapter four

In this chapter the study discussed the background characteristics, education status of

respondents, occupation of respondents and qualitative results from the respondents.

25

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 ~ntroduct~on

The study in this chapter represents a start in understanding the causes of low

academic performance of students in rural secondary schools in Uganda, discussions

and recommendation.

5.1 Condusion of the study

Although research on the factors associated with low performance is abundant,

research on students in rural schools is lacking in many respects. Future research

should further explore the risk and protective factors associated with adjustment,

achievement and delinquency in these students of the rural secondary schools.

Ultimately the challenge of integrating issues of diversity and variation with theoretical

notions and generalizations lies in balancing universalistic versus community specific

aims of research. Understanding how psychological processes differ for pupils in rural

schools and those in the urban not only informs theory and research but also affects

intervention efforts in real world setting

The study considered various interventions and the cost effectiveness of the

interventions. In improving performance it must be stressed that there are no general

rules, what is most important to invest in is the quality of management. Therefore the

main conclusion of this study is that it is important to invest in the quality of

management. When the quality of management improves, the effectiveness of other

interventions will increase as well. Investing in the quality of management means

training an effective support structure at the district level and an effective inspection

apparatus.

Secondly, it pays to invest in books. Books are a cost effective instrument in raising the

learning achievements of students. In order to make sure that books will be used, it is

important that schools have enough copies. Moreover the effectiveness of books will

increase when teacher training is directed to this.26

Third, teacher training is one way to improve results. Well trained teachers seem to

feel more responsible and have lower rates of absenteeism and schools with well

trained teachers have better results.

The reduction of the students-teacher ratio is helpful as well, especially in an

environment with good management. Without this efforts towards improving pupils’

performance may be futile

5.2 Discussion of the findings

Peer delinquency did not have a direct effect on academic achievement but instead

appeared to be mediated by school attitudes. The significant negative relationship

between peer delinquency and academic achievement becomes non-significant in the

ordinary level as compared to advanced level. Hence delinquent peer affiliations

influence students’ attitudes towards school which in turn predict academic

achievement. The findings suggest that peer affiliations directly affect school attitudes

and indirectly affect academic performance. Specifically associations with delinquent

peers may determine students from seeking out educational resources or fulfilling their

attitudes towards school.

School attitudes significantly predict academic performance. This highlighted the

importance of school related behaviors and educational aspirations and expectancies in

determining actual grades. Students’ own educational aspirations and attitudes toward

school positively predicted self-reported grades. Positive school attitudes arose from

feelings of self-efficacy and perceived competence and from positive reinforcement like

prior good grades.

Parent attachment and discipline are generally important predictors of academic

achievement. A possible explanation involves the way parent attachment is

operationally defined. Having parents who are accessible who give reward and

punishments, who discuss aspects of their lives and who engage in fun activities with

27

them and take the education of their children seriously means that parents are

constantly and consistently transmitting their aspirations or educational values to their

children. However, few students perceived parent attachment as a form of excessive

control, particularly if children and parents experience intergenerational conflict.

In general the findings of the study confirm the hypothesis outlined earlier.

5~3 Recommendations for the study

Children with severe physical, sensory or speaking behavioral deficits must not be

educated in regular mainstream schools (inclusive schools). Referral to special schools

should be made for children with severe and profound impairments. This is because

they find it extremely difficult to cope with the curriculum and speed of teaching and

cannot compete favorably with their able bodied counterparts.

Advocacy by parents, teachers and community organizations is needed to promote

institutional changes to foster these students’ academic success. Effective intervention

efforts to address the educational issues and needs of pupils in rural areas should

involve more systematic changes at the local and national levels, given the challenges

they face such as poverty, inadequate educational and institutional resources, and

academic difficulties.

Support structures like outreach programmers, family- school collaborations need to be

established to educate and acquaint parents with their children’s school system and

importance of educating children. This will facilitate internalization of educational

values. Parents are a valuable intervention effort though they may not be a major

source of influence consistently over the course of their children’s lives.

Providing both verbal and tangible rewards as well as educational resources like

classrooms reading materials, well trained teachers may improve the academic

28

performance of these children. These incentives may also help counter initial negative

attitudes towards school that may lead to low academic achievement.

Government has invested in teachers, in books and classrooms. Nevertheless these

investments will be much more effective only if the government improves the quality of

school and district management and quality of the inspectorate at the same time

A chfld may be having more than one reason for the poor school performance .Hence

the teachers need to find a detailed developmental and medical history and do a

thorough examination of the child to identify any medical, emotional, socio-cultural,

psychiatric or environmental causes. This can be done through teachers gathering

information from parents, the child’s peers and classroom teacher and use of medical

records which clearly describe the child’s behavior social functioning and the academic

difficulties. This information is crucial in forming an initial diagnosis and development of

remedies against poor performance.

Alleviation of hunger by providing mid-day meals in schools is one of the mechanisms to

improve academic performance in the under nourished low income secondary school

students. Treatment of malnutrition deficiencies and periodic de-worming is also

beneficial in malnourished children. This will enhance memory and body activity of the

child, promote learning efficiency hence contributing to high academic scores among

these students.

Teachers should be trained to suspect/detect emotional problems so that they are

diagnosed and treated early. HIV infected children need counseling services and should

be well integrated into the community to avoid stigmatization. This will reduce

symptoms of inattention and impulsivity resulting in improved school performance

29

All in all, intervention efforts need to be informed by research and circumstances of the

community or population of interest if performance among students in rural secondary

schools is to be improved.

5~4 Condusion of chapter five

The study in this chapter discussed the conclusion of the study, discussion of the study

and recommendation of the study.

30

References

Antonie De Kemp analyzing the effectiveness of sector support: secondary education in

Ghana and Zambia

Bategeka L et al (2004), financing primary education for all. Cherian, V 3 and Cherian,

LV 2006 Relationship between parental occupation and academic achievement of

Xhosa children from polygamous families. Journal of family welfare, 41:49-52

Ministry of education and sports (2003), Uganda education statistics abstract

2003Ministry of education and sports (1998), guidelines on policy, roles, and

stakeholders in the implementation of universal secondary education

Ministry of finance planning and economic development (2004), expenditure tracking

study.

Ministry of finance planning and economic planning (2004), poverty eradication action

plan (PEAP).

Panda, J. shahoo and shahoo, 3., 2007 school organizational climate on students

‘academic achievement.

Indian journal of applied psychology, 32:34-39

USE policy Brief 10, interregional inequality facility, February 2006

31

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1

QUESTIONAIRES

QUESTIONNAIRE TO BE USED FOR THESTUDYOF FACTORINFLUENCING LOW

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN RURAL SECONSDARY SCHOOLS IN

UGANDA:

(A CASE 0 F NYERO SUB COUNTY --KUMI DISTRIcT)

AUTHORITY LETTER

Kampaia ~nternationaI un~versfty,

P.O Box 20000,

Ggaba road,

23/08/2018.

The head teachers,

Nyero Sub County,

kumi district schoo~s,

Uganda

Dear respondent,

RE: ASSISTANCE IN FILLING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

I am a student in college of education and open distance E learning I intend to conduct

a research study onfactors influencing low academic performance of students in rural

secondary schools in Uganda

I kindly seek your approval and authority to collect data from the respondent in their

foresaid schools and parents. Together with Research Assistant, I intend to administer

questionnaires to the parents and the students.

Yours faithfully,

Soigiphislisters

32

Introduction and purpose

This study is being conducted to gain an understanding of factors influencing academic

performance of students in rural schools’ request you to join the study because as a

student in school, you are eligible and can provide resourceful information pertaining

this topic under investigation.

Risks

This study does not put you at any risk at aN but still you can choose not to answer any

of the questions for any reason known to you.

Benefits

By participating in this study you will help the researcher gain useful information. There

is no payment for taking part in this study. This study is purely for academic purposes.

It is a requirement for the award of a degree in social workhand social administration.

Confidentia ity

Your answer will be kept confidential. To keep your confidentiality, numbers instead of

names are used on the questionnaire.Contact the researcher’s name is SOIGI

PHILISTERS, a student of Bachelor of art with education atKampala international

University

Te~ephone: 0773759596

Consent

Signature of interviewee Date

33

INSTRUCTION

Please circle the response applicable to you

1.Participant; School

Class

Sex

Age

2. How often do you consult with your parents on issues relating to academic work?

A Never

B Sometimes

C Often

D Always

3. What is the attitude of your parents towards you’re going to school?

A Not important at all

B Not very important

34

C Pretl:y important

D Very important

4. Do you receive any rewards and encouragement from your parents when you attain

a good grade in class?

A Never

B Sometimes

C Often

D Always

5. Are you given time to do your homework by the parents?

A Never

B Sometimes

C Often

D Only when there is no other work

6. My parents show concern about my performance in class?

A All the time

35

B Most of the time

C Sometimes

D Never

7. My parents attach high value to my homework?

A Strongly agree

B Agree somewhat

C Disagree

D Strongly disagree

8. Having time to do homework does affect my academic performance in school?

A Strongly agree

B Agree somewhat

C Disagree

D Strongly disagree

9. How often do parents require you to perform domestic or other tasks instead of

studying?

36

AAII the time

B Most of the time

C Sometimes

D Never

10. My parents give me adequate support on academic related matters?

A Strongly agree

B Agree somehow

C Disagree somehow

D Strongly disagree

11. Parental influence has an effect on the way I perform in class?

A Never

B Sometimes

C Often

D Always

37

12. Parents paying school related dues buying uniforms and providing other scholastic

requirements in time is important in determining my performance in class?

A Not important at all

B Not very important

C Pretty important

D Very important

13. Parental involvement that is attending school activities and monitoring academic

progress fosters achievement of good grades in class?

A Strongly agree

B Agree somewhat

C Disagree somewhat

D Strongly disagree

14. It is not only parental support that influences my academic performance in class?

A Strongly agree

B Agree somewhat

C Disagree

38

D Strongly disagrees

15. Apart from parental support, what are other factors influence your performance in

class7

16. How

best do you think students in rural schools can be helped to perform like their

counterparts in urban

schools7

17. Any additional information you would like to give related toour topic under

investigation

Thank you for taking part in the study.

39

40

OBSERVATION CHECKLIST

(This is meant to observe other factors that may be influencing low performanceof

students in school so as to come up with all the factors responsible for low

performance)

1. TIME

~Of arrival of children to school in the morning

Of arrival of teachers

~Lessons start and ends

2. SCHOOL CONDITIONS

Number of children in classrooms

Mode and language of instruction

Sanitation facilities

Distance between home and school

3. SOCIAL SUPPORT

MAre children provided with lunch in school

MAre there counseling services for both girls and boys

RAre the children subjected to hard labor while in school

* Mode of transportation of children to and from school

4. HOUSEHOLD AND OTHER FACTORS

Parent-child interaction

* Housing conditions

~Common practices like economic activities and socialization habits.

41