STUDENT FACTORS RELATED TO MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS OF MASABA SOUTH SUB COUNTY, KENYA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Performance in mathematics in Masaba Sub-County, Kenya has been poor for many years. In 2010 the mean score was 3.2282, while in 2011 it had a mean score of 3.9528 and in 2012 it had a mean of 4.0660 which is far below the maximum mean of 12.00.The purpose of this study was to assess student factors related to academic achievement in mathematics in Masaba South Sub County. The research objective of the study was to determine whether student factors have an effect on student academic achievement in mathematics. Students of Masaba South Sub County miss out in joining lucrative careers because of persistent poor performance in mathematics. The population was 40 schools in Masaba South Sub County. Saturated and stratified sampling techniques was used to select 6 secondary school principals in Masaba South Sub County, Kenya. Interview schedules were used to collect data. Qualitative data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis by coding and identifying themes per response. Validity of instruments was established through discussion with experts from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology school of education. The study might be useful to the ministry of education in improving the education system. The study found that poor performance in mathematics in Masaba South sub-county schools was due to poor attitude of students, students’ lack of ambition, poor career choice, other students, lack of competitive spirit, and no desire to set targets, among others. The researcher recommended that schools should guide students on mathematics issues.