Factors influencing the academic performance of music students in senior high schools in the Ho-West district in the Volta region of Ghana

Abstract

The study interrogated factors that influenced academic performance in Music at the senior high school among General Arts and Visual Arts students in the Ho West District of Volta Region, Ghana. The objectives of the study were to examine attitudes of music teachers and students towards the subject, analyse methods and materials used in teaching music and how prospective students were selected to study music at these schools. The work was done using descriptive method of qualitative research with interview and observation as the main tools. Using the purposive sampling techniques, a sample of three schools and six teachers were selected for in-depth study while I sampled students randomly. Out of the three schools, the study found that, reasons for underperformance were as a result of the unavailability of teaching learning resources, the admission of low grade applicants into the General Arts and Visual Arts departments and negative attitudinal problems towards the subject. It came out of the study that the environment of a school also influenced its academic output. Adequate resourcing, infrastructure, good BECE entry grades, and teachers using different methods and materials in teaching are recommended as remedies towards addressing these problems.