Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to find out the factors affecting the academic
performance of students in Chemistry in the Akatsi South District. The study
employed descriptive survey design. The population of the study was made up of all
Senior High School students studying Chemistry as well as all chemistry teachers in
the Akatsi South District. The sample comprised of four (4) teachers and one hundred
and thirty-one (131) students who were selected using purposive and simple random
sampling techniques respectively. Questionnaires were employed as the main data
collection tool. Records of 2020 WASSCE results were also collected and analyzed.
The instrument validity was established by expert judgement whilst its reliability was
established through test-retest method yielding a Cronbach alpha Coefficient of 0.79.
The collected data were analyzed quantitatively using frequencies and percentages.
The study revealed among others that, the performance of students in Chemistry for
2020 WASSCE was very poor. School factors such as: use of limited of teaching
methods, inadequate periods to cover a broad syllabus, failure of Chemistry teachers
to be punctual and regular, inadequate laboratory and library resources were identified
as the contributing factors to the poor performance. In addition to these, socio economic factors such as low educational background of parents and financial
problems resulting in extensive absenteeism of students from school and inadequate
time at home to study emerged as factors affecting the performance of students in
Chemistry in the Akatsi South District of the Volta Region of Ghana.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Educational Foundations
Faculty of Educational Studies, submitted to the School
of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Post Graduate Diploma
(Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
