Gender difference and academic achievement In music among form four students in Kenya 1991-1995

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare academic achievement in Music between boys and girls at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) level in order \ to find out whether there is gender difference. Differences in"-achievement in the Music Practical, Music Theory and Average Music Mark between boys and girls were determined using the t-test. A total of 11626 Form Four students between 1991 and 1995, of which 4831 boys and 6795 girls aged about 18, were the participants in the study. KCSE Music marks (1991-1995) that formed the instrument of the study were taken from the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC). Analysis of data indicated the following results: A very high statistically significant difference was observed between the means of boys and girls in the Music Practical and Average Music Mark in favour of girls; there was no statistically significant difference observed between the means of boys and girls in Music Theory; girls had significantly higher means in urban and specifically urban single-sex schools. Performance in rural, single-sex, mixed, urban mixed, rural single-sex and rural mixed schools indicated varied results. However, there existed statistically significant differences between the means of boys and girls in the Music Practical and Average Music Mark in favour of girls in the majority of cases. Conversely, statistically significantly higher means in Music Theory were observed in favour of boys in the majority of schools. Suggested educational implications -of the results arrived at in this study to teachers, the KNEC and the Ministry of Education section concerned with Music are pointed out. For example, teachers should use the differences in academic achievement pointed out in this thesis as their pointers in giving academic guidance and using teaching strategies that will help raise achievement of learners in Music, regardless of gender, and the Ministry should devise ways of promoting and hence improving Music achievement in especially mixed school settings. Finally, a set of recommendations for future research are also made.