Abstract:
The study investigated the determinants of academic achievement of students in
public junior high schools in the Effutu Municipality. Specifically, the study sought to
investigate how teacher-related factors, school environment-related factors, student related factors, and home-related factors determined academic achievement of
students in public junior high schools in the Municipality. The study, which was
based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1989) Ecological Systems Theory, was underpinned by
the positivist epistemology and objectivist ontology because it adopted the
quantitative approach of the descriptive survey design to collect and analyse
quantitative data. The target population was all teachers and students in public and
private Junior High Schools (JHSs) in the Effutu Municipality while the accessible
population comprised all teachers and students in public JHSs in the Municipality.
Through stratified and census sampling techniques, a sample size of 689 respondents,
involving 585 students and 104 teachers were obtained. However, a total of 660
questionnaires filled in by 560 students and 100 teachers were retrieved and used for
the analysis. This showed a response rate of 95.8%. Two sets of questionnaire, one
each for the sampled students and teachers were designed by the researcher, pre tested, and used to collect data for the study. In analysing the data, frequency,
percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression
were used with the aid of Version 20 of Statistical Product for Service Solutions
(SPSS). The results from the analysis showed a positive and statistically significant
relationship between teacher-related factors and the students’ academic achievement.
It was also revealed from the analysis of the data that school environment-related
factors identified for the study collectively contributed 57.4% of the variance in the
students’ academic achievement. This was found to be statistically significant and
critical in determining academic achievement of the students. Furthermore, the
analysis of the data established that student-related factors identified for the study
collectively contributed 76.5% to the students’ academic achievement, implying that
they were good predictors of students’ academic achievement. Similarly, the analysis
of the data portrayed that home-related factors had a statistically significant
relationship with the students’ academic achievement. Based on the findings, it was
recommended among other things that adequate teaching and learning resources,
facilities, and conducive school atmosphere and climate should be provided by the
headteachers to enhance effective teaching and learning. The activities of guidance
and counselling units in the schools should be strengthened by the Ghana Education
Service and the headteachers by providing them with the required resources and
training to implement their guidance programmes effectively to improve on the
behaviours of students. Again, parents should be encouraged to get involved in their
children’s’ education. The Directorate of the Ghana Education Service in the Effutu
Municipality should organise regular seminars, in-service training programmes for
teachers to enhance their pedagogical-content knowledge and pedagogical skills to
improve on students’ academic achievement.
Description:
A Thesis in the Department Basic Education,
Faculty of Educational Studies, Submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba, in Partial Fulfilment of the
Requirements for the Award of Master of Philosophy (Basic Education) Degree
OCTOBER, 2019