School Based Factors Influencing Performance In Public Day Primary Schools In Miriga Mieru East Division, Imenti- North District, Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

Poor performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in some regions of Kenya has been attributed to various factors which differ depending on the region under study as well as the school. Performance in Miriga Mieru East Division in Meru County Kenya has been dismal in the recent past. The purpose of the study therefore was to investigate the influence of school based factors on performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examination in Miriga Mieru East Division, Imenti North District. The objectives of the study were to determine the influence of learning resources, school physical facilities and human resource on academic performance in K.C.P.E in public day primary schools. This study was guided by systems theory input-output model developed by Ludwig Van Bertalanfly in 1956. According to the theory, an organized enterprise does not exist in a vacuum in which it is established, and the inputs from the environment are reserved by the organization which then transforms them into outputs. As adapted in this study, the students (inputs) are admitted into the primary school from different social-economic backgrounds. The target population for the study was the 27 public day primary schools in Miriga Mieru East Division. The study employed a descriptive survey design. This design was the most appropriate for this study because the researcher sought information from respondents regarding their opinion of the performance and how it has been influenced by the school based elements. When they get into the school system, the management of the school transforms them through the process of teaching and learning and the students output is seen through their academic performance. A simple random sampling technique was used to sample 11 out of the 27 schools. In every school, purposive sampling technique was used to sample the head teachers in every school visited. Four pupils two from class eight and 2 from class seven and three teachers who teach class eight pupils were sampled randomly from each school. Questionnaires were used as instruments for data collection. Two public day primary schools from Miriga Mieru West Division were used for pilot study to test validity and reliability. The researcher visited the sampled schools and administered the questionnaires to the head teachers, teachers and pupils. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages). The research findings show that the schools in the division have adequate resources but the performance was still below average. Human resource was inadequate. The study recommends that more teachers to be employed, in service programmes for both the head teachers and teachers through the ministry of Education, parents to be fully involved in school programs and a study to be carried out to establish the external factors influencing performance in the same division.