Factors Affecting the Performance of Physics Students in Secondary Schools in Otuke District

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to investigate the facto~’affecting performance of UCE physic student~ike; discipline of student~~ quality of teachers, laboratory in the school, and student related factors on the performance of physics students in secondary schools in Otuke district with a view of recommending on how to improve on students’ performance. The study was conducted in that particular area because in the past five year students’ performance in the schools has been alarmingly deteriorating. Specifically, the study was intended to achieve the following objectives: (1) to investigate whether discipline of student affect student performance in physics; (2) to investigate the factor which affect students’ performance in physics: (3) to identify the solution that can be put in place to alleviate the performance of physics in Otuke district. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. Quantitative and qualitative approaches of data collection were employed. A total of 200 respondents constituted the sample of the study. These included five head teachers, 50 teachers and 150 students (senior four) from the five schools (Adwari Ss’, Okwang SS’, Orum SS, Otuke Ss Ogor comprehensive SS, the researcher used four three of research instruments: Namely questionnaires interviews, observation, and were presented in relation to the study objective while linking to the existing literature, result include demographic characteristic,

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I~Il’~CLAI~.ATIOI’~ i

APPROVAL ii

I~II~DIc~AnI.IO1N iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

LIST OF TABLES v

LIST OF FIGURES vi

LIST OF ACRONYMS vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS viii

ABSTACT xii

CHAPTER ONE 1

INTRODUCTION 1

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Background 1

1.1.1 Historical Perspective 1

1.1.2 Theoretical Perspective 2

1.1.3 Conceptual Perspective 3

1.1.4 Contextual Perspective 3

1.2 Problem Statement 8

1.3 Purpose 9

1.4 Objectives 9

1.5 Research Questions 9

1.6 Hypotheses 10

1.7 Scope 10

1.8 Significance 10

CHAPTER TWO .12

LITERATURE REVIEW 12

2.0 Introduction 12

2.1 Theoretical review 12

2.2 Conceptual framework 13

2.3 Related literature review 15

2.3.1 Factors which affect student performance in physics 15

2.3.2 Laboratory 15

2.3.3 Teacher 16

2.3.4 Reference materials 16

2.3.5 Student related factors 17

2.4 Remedies enforced to improve performance in physics 17

CHAPTER THREE 19

METHODOLOGY 19

3,0 Introduction 19

3.1 Design 19

3.2 Population 19

3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques 20

3.4 Data Collection Methods 20

3.5 Instruments 21

3.5.1 Questionnaires 21

3.5.2 Interviews 21

3.5.3 Non-participation Observation 21

3.6 Validity 22

3.7 Reliability 22

3.8 Procedure .23

3.9 Data Analysis 23

CHAPTER FOUR 25

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 25

4.0 Introduction 25

4.1 Background information on respondents 25

4.1.1 Respondents by sex 25

4.1.2 Respondents by age 25

4.1.3 Respondents by c lass 26

4.1.3 Respondents according to school 26

4.1.5 Respondents According to Responsibility 27

4.2 Description of the dependent variable: students’ performance 28

4.21 Academic performance 28

4.2.2 Performance in co-curricular activities 29

4.3 Variation of dependent variable with background variables 30

4.3.1 Variation of pupils’ performance with sex 30

4.3.2 Variation of students’ performance with age 31

4.3.3 Variation of students’ performances with class 32

4.3.4 Variation of students’ Performance with School 32

4.3.5 Variation of students’ performance with responsibility at school 33

4.4 Verification of Hypotheses 34

4.4.1 Hypothesis One 34

4.4.2 Hypothesis Two 37

4,4.3 Hypothesis Three 39

CHAPTER FIVE .42

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 42

5.0 Introduction 42

5.1 Discussion 42

5,2 Conclusion 43

5.3 Recommendation 43

5.4 Suggestion for further research 44

REFERENCES 45

APPENDIX A 48

SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SENIOUR THREE AND 48

FOUR STUDENTS ON FACTORS AFFECTING THE PERFORMANCE 48

OF PHYSICS STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OTUKE DISTRICT 48

APPENDIXD 56