Relationship between Task Value and Academic Performance among Orphaned Secondary School Students in Kenya

The present study investigated the relationship between task value and academic performance among orphaned secondary school students in Kenya. The research was anchored on Person Centred Theory. The study adopted concurrent triangulation research design within the mixed method approach. The target population comprised 300 orphaned students and 35 principals. A total of 300 orphaned students in secondary schools and 11 principals were selected through saturated and simple random sampling strategies respectively to form the representative sample. Students’ questionnaires, document analysis and interview guide for the head teachers were the main data collection instruments. Validity of research instrument was ensured by the university lecturers’ and supervisors’ expert judgment. A reliability coefficient of 0.891 was reported. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation and regression analysis) while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Study findings revealed a significant weak (small) positive relationship between task value and academic performance (r = .122) among orphaned secondary school students. Results from the interviews revealed that metacognitive skills, self-efficacy, time management, and task value are vital components of academic performances amongst orphan students in Bondo Sub-County. The study recommended that schools should equip orphans with lifelong survival skills to enable them develop proper meta-cognitive skills in the community following discharge from the learning institution.