The Impact of instructional, student related and demographic factors on performance in Mathematics in Bungoma West Sub-County: case of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the factors causing poor performance in Mathematics in KCSE examination in Bungoma West Sub-county of Bungoma County and suggest strategies for improvement. The descriptive survey research design was used. The respondents for this study were categorized into four: The Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (SCQASO), principals, H.O.Ds of Mathematics and fom1 four students. The SQASO provided the analysed of the county for comparison purposes- to show how Bungoma West performs in relation to the other sub counties in the county. The study included 10 principals of schools, 18 H.O.Ds of Mathematics and 82 fom1 four students. These three groups of respondents were availed with questionnaires to gather data on the influence of instructional factors, student-related factors and demographic factors on performance in Mathematics. The results of the study were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis was applied using the SPSS software to investigate the effect of the aforementioned factors on students' perfom1ance in Mathematics examinations. The analysis of the data revealed that the instructional approaches that were--used in content delivery had no significant influence on good perfom1ance. The student-related factors such as negative attitude towards Mathematics and low motivational levels had •a significant influence on good performance in Mathematics. The demographic factors that result to student absenteeism from school due to poor fees payment and non-provision of essential mathematical resources also had a significant influence on performance in Mathematics.