Factors Influencing Candidates’ Performance in English Language and Mathematics at West African Senior School Certificate Examination

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Oluwatomi Modupeola Alade ◽  
Olaotan Oladele Kuku ◽  
Adunola Osoba
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
West African ◽  
School Certificate ◽  
Lagos State ◽  
Economic Background ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Certificate Examination

<p>The study investigated influence of some factors on the performance of selected West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidates. It also examined the relationship between these factors and candidates’ performance. Factors investigated include socio-economic background of the candidates (SEB), study hours (SH), attitude towards English Language (ATTENG) and attitude towards Mathematics (ATTMAT). Secondary schools in Lagos State were divided into private and public secondary schools. Simple random sampling was used to select five out of the six educational districts in Lagos State. Then one public and one private secondary schools were selected in each of the five educational districts earlier selected in stage one. Thereafter, 30 senior secondary school III students were selected in each of the ten schools (5 public and 5 private schools). A total of 600 candidates (consisting of male and female participants) were expected, however, only 564 participants with complete data were found suitable for the study. An instrument tagged “Candidates Rating Scale (CRS)” was developed and used to measure their SEB, SH, ATTENG and ATTMA which were the independent variables while candidates’ scores at WASSCE was used as the dependent variable. Obtained data were analyzed by using multiple regressions. The results of the study indicate that there exists a positive correlation between WASSCE grades and all the variables in Mathematics but correlate with socio economic background only for English language.</p>

PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IKOLOMANI SUB- COUNTY, KAKAMEGA COUNTY, KENYA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Brenda Muhavi Madegwa ◽  
Sr. Dr. Elizabeth Piliyesi ◽  
Sr. Dr. Theonestina Katundano
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Parental Occupation ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Economic Background ◽  
Parental Level

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the socio- economic background of parents influence the academic performance of students in public secondary schools in Ikolomani Sub- County, Kakamega County. This study was guided by the following research questions: How does parental level of education influence students’ performance? How does parental occupation level influence students’ performance? How does parental income level influence students’performance? What are the socioeconomic challenges facing parents in enhancing students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in lkolomani Sub-County? What are the possible solutions to enhance students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in lkolomani Sub-County?Methodology: The study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The study employed proportionate stratified random sampling to select the schools while purposive, cluster sampling and simple random sampling was used to select the students. Teachers were selected using stratified and simple random sampling. Principals, parents’ representatives and Education officer were purposively selected. Data were collected using questionnaires, document analysis and interview guide. Qualitative and quantitative data were concurrently collected and analyzed. Statistical package for Social Science (SPSS version 23) was used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed thematically to obtain views and perceptions of the respondents.Results: The study found that parental socio-economic background played  a key role in enhancement of students’ academic performance.Recommendations: The study recommended that parents should be encouraged to start small income generating business so as to cater for the educational needs of their children.

scholarly journals Availability and adequacy of WASH facilities in secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 01023
Author(s):  
Rotimi Williams Olatunji ◽  
Noeem Taiwo Thanny
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Toilet Facility ◽  
Water Closet ◽  
Lagos State ◽  
Typical Type ◽  
Unobtrusive Observation

The curtailment of infectious diseases is facilitated through observance of good hand hygiene, a habit which tends to be low less observed in developing countries. This paper investigated the level of availability and adequacy of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) materials in secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. The sample size is made up of 620 respondents, selected through a combination of purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling methods. Research instruments adopted included questionnaires, focus group discussion guide, document observation, and unobtrusive observation. Quantitative data were analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study showed that the majority of the respondents (87.4%) admitted that the most typical type of toilet facility is a water closet, followed by pit latrine (13.7%) and open space (1.6%) for defecation. A majority of the respondents considered the provision of a wash hand basin as grossly inadequate. Therefore, researchers recommended improvement of structures, facilities, and materials relating to WASH in schools across Lagos State, Nigeria.

scholarly journals Multilingualism as a Tool of Marginalization or Empowerment in Pakistan: A Classroom Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-94
Author(s):  
Musarrat Azher ◽  
Riffat-un-Nisa Awan ◽  
Ghazala Noureen
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
University Education ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Public Schooling ◽  
Economic Background ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
University Classrooms ◽  
Different Levels

Pakistani educational system is dominated by multilingual phenomenon at all stages. The students with different levels of language proficiency enter university education where classrooms are dominated by multilingual phenomenon with the main adherence to English language. The major concerns of this study are: does multilingualism in Pakistani university classrooms transfer or inculcate any sense of marginalization or empowerment amongst the students at BS level; whether this sense of marginalization or empowerment can be related to their socioeconomic background and to their private and public schooling. The data were collected through a self-developed questionnaire from BS 3rd semester students enrolled in University of Sargodha. The questionnaire included close ended as well as open ended items which were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results revealed that students with low socio-economic background and public schooling were on the verge of marginalization and demotion which have developed a sense of low confidence in them. Students from private sector English medium schools were more confident, interactive, and participative in the classroom, hence empowered. The study concluded with some suggestion that universities may organize a zero semester for students to teach them a deficiency course of communication skills in English. Keywords: Multilingualism, Marginalization. Empowerment, University students  

scholarly journals Content analysis of levels and aspects of comprehension in West African senior secondary school examination

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Funmilayo M. Oguntade
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
West African ◽  
School Students ◽  
The West ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
School Certificate ◽  
Senior Secondary

Background: Reading is one of the most complex and exclusively human mental activities. It is a foundational skill for all learning, whether at primary, secondary or tertiary levels. If students do not master effective strategies for reading, they may not be successful independent learners. The ability to comprehend written texts and answer relevant questions on them is a major feature that is examined in comprehension in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.Objective: This study was directed at analysing the content of the English language comprehension questions in the West African School Certificate Examination to identify the intensities of testing different aspects of comprehension so that teachers can lay emphasis on these aspects when they teach reading strategies to their students.Method: The content analytical approach was used to identify the different aspects and levels of the comprehension passages. The analysis of the content was carried out by focusing on 10 different content sub-categories.Results: The study revealed that most of the comprehension passages presented had never been used before and they were related to the students’ local environment. Literal and inferential questions dominated while critical and evaluative questions were rarely asked.Conclusion: In the light of the pedagogic importance of critical and evaluative questions, it is recommended that examiners and teachers should lay emphasis on questions that demand higher-order reasoning to prepare students for the contemporary demands of literacy. In line with higher-order questions, it is also suggested that the curriculum should be amended to encourage critical evaluative thinking among secondary school students as it is an important part of literacy and language development.

Why no more Latin?

1946 ◽  
Vol 15 (45) ◽  
pp. 114-118
Author(s):  
D. G. Bentliff
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Latin Literature ◽  
Formal Grammar ◽  
School Certificate ◽  
Modern Methods ◽  
Roman Culture ◽  
Certificate Examination

Mr. melluish's vigorous plea for the restoration of Latin to an honoured place in the school curriculum cuts through the mists of apologetic defeatism and loose thinking which have in recent years befogged discussion of pre-certificate Latin. The Four-Year Course was imposed on classical teachers by the fact that the majority of boys and girls in secondary schools left at the age of sixteen, or at any rate dropped Latin after taking the School Certificate Examination. What was really an evil to be fought against has been erected into a sort of permanent educational article of faith, and would-be reformers have been trying in various ways to put the quart of Latin (or substitutes and dilutions thereof) into the pint pot of the pre-certificate curriculum.There were those (and the writer confesses he has been one of them) who would have tried to teach their pupils to run before they could walk. Less formal grammar and less English into Latin, it was argued, would leave more time for the reading of Latin authors, that is, for the enjoyment of Latin literature and an understanding of Roman culture. Herein lay two fallacies. In the first place, Latin authors cannot be read with any facility or, indeed, at all, until the pupil has mastered the elements of Latin accidence and syntax. This, in spite of modern methods, remains a formidable task for the average boy or girl, calling for a great deal of hard work. It is, therefore, misleading to suggest that up to the School Certificate stage much more is possible than the acquisition of the essential preliminaries.

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