Gender differences in the relationship between selected Psychological factors and students’ performance in form four Cluster examinations in secondary schools in Nyakach sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

Countries world over have endeavoured to achieve gender equality in education given that it is central in propelling national growth and development. Psychology provides a basis for understanding the teaching and learning process in education. Good academic performance opens up opportunities for career development. In the Kenyan system of education, Form Four examination predetermines the professional or academic path the students follow thereafter. The students’ mean performance in Form Four examination for Nyakach Sub-County in 2015 was 4.8828, much lower than those of neighbouring Sub-Counties of Muhoroni and Nyando whose mean scores in the same year were 5.5773 and 6.4275, respectively. The purpose of this study was to establish gender differences in the relationship between selected psychological factors and students’ academic performance in Nyakach Sub-County. The study sought to: establish gender differences in students’ attitude towards learning, test anxiety, self-concept, locus of control and academic performance; establish the relationship between students’ attitude towards learning and academic performance and establish gender differences in the relationship between students’ attitude towards learning and academic performance. The conceptual framework captured the two main variables in the study namely psychological factors and academic performance with gender as the intervening variable. Correlational survey design was used in the study. The study population consisted of 3400 Form four students, 53 Principals and one Sub-County Director. The sample consisted of 352 (227 male and 125 female) students selected by using Yamane formula (1967), six Principals and one Sub-County Director of Education selected by purposive sampling. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. Quantitative data from closed ended items in the Questionnaires were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The validity and reliability of the instruments were considered through involvement of university appointed supervisor using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient method. In particular, frequencies, graphs and percentages were used as descriptive statistics. SPSS Version 16.0 was used to aid in statistical data analysis. Chi-square and correlation were used as inferential statistics. Qualitative data were organized into themes and sub-themes before interpretation. Findings indicated that as much as the relationship between the selected psychological variables and academic performance were not statistically significant (p>.05), the nature of relationships differed across gender. More specifically, gender differences in performance were most pronounced when attitude towards learning was negative, at high levels of test-anxiety, at low levels of locus of control and at high levels of self-concept. It became clear from the findings that attitude may just be a cover up to reasons for poor academic performance in examinations whereas peer pressure was identified as a major challenge as it leads to absenteeism and early pregnancies among girls. It is recommended that in order to bridge the gender gap in academic performance, students’ attitude towards learning should be positive, their levels of test-anxiety should be low, levels of self-concept and their levels of locus of control should be high. The findings have implications for classroom teaching