Determinants of academic achievement of students in public junior high schools in the Effutu municipality

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.