Factors that contribute to the poor academic performance in public basic schools in the Kwadaso circuit of Kwadaso municipality

Abstract

Poor student achievement or performance is a serious universal concern which has been eating into the fabric of educational development, yet very little effort has been taken in finding a panacea to it. The study was conducted in the Kwadaso circuit of the Kwadaso Municipality. The research design used for the study was a descriptive survey. 145 respondents from different schools in the Kwadaso circuit were selected for the study. A set of questionnaire consisting of closed questions were used to collect data from respondents consisting of 136 teachers, who were randomly selected and 9 headteachers, who were purposively selected. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were used to analyze data obtained from field research.The findings indicated that teachers, students themselves, parents as well as management of schools in the district contribute to the poor academic performance of students. The researcher therefore concluded that both school related causes and outside school factors contribute to poor academic achievements of students in the Kwadaso circuit. The study therefore recommended, among others, that parents should be sensitized by the leaders of the church and the youth through the use of drama, symposia, and community education to understand and appreciate the importance of education and endeavor to provide their wards with basic educational needs to help improve upon their academic performance.