Relationship between selected student motivation cultures and student academic achievement in secondary schools In Nakuru County, Kenya

Nelson Nyang’au Ngare; John N Ochola; Frederick B J A Ngala

doi:10.51317/ecjmel.v4i1.425

Authors

Nelson Nyang’au Ngare Kabarak University, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9166-9495
John N Ochola Kabarak University, Kenya https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9804-5042
Frederick B J A Ngala Kabarak University, Kenya https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2708-6656

Keywords:

academic achievement, cultures, school management, secondary schools, student motivation

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between selected student motivation cultures and academic achievement in secondary schools in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The target population was comprised of all KCSE 2021 candidates and all principals of secondary schools in the County. The study used an outlier approach and the multistage sampling technique. The sample size consisted of 2214 students and 80 principals of schools. Data was collected using questionnaires. Instruments were adapted for use after carrying out a test re-test procedure. Cronbach Alpha Coefficient of above 0.7 was obtained. Validity was ensured with the assistance of the supervisors. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 27 and was analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (Spearman rank correlations and Regression analysis). Quantitative results were presented in tables and qualitative results in prose. Private schools showed a stronger link between student motivation culture and academic achievement than public schools. In high-achieving KCSE public and private secondary schools, the Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated a moderate positive correlation for public schools and a strong positive correlation for private schools between student motivation culture and academic achievement. However, when assessing the relationship between student motivation culture and student academic achievement in low-performing KCSE public and private secondary schools, the results differ. The study recommends that the school management should consider investing in student motivation cultures that enhance student academic achievement.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adom, D., Yeboah, A., & Ankrah, K. A. (2016). Constructivism philosophical paradigm: Implication for research, teaching and learning. Global Journal of ArtHumanities and Social Sciences, 4(10), 1–9.

Aguinis, H., Gottfredson, K. R., & Joo, H. (2013). Best-practice recommendations for defining, identifying, and handling outliers. Organisational Research Methods, 16(2), 270–301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428112470848

Bektas, F., Çogaltay, N., Karadag, E., & Ay, Y. (2015). School Culture and Academic Achievement of Students: A Meta-analysis Study. Anthropologist, 21(3), 482–488. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2015.11891837

Berkemeyer, N., Junker, R., Bos, W., & Müthing, K. (2016). Organizational Cultures in Education: Theory-based use of an instrument for identifying school culture. Journal of Educational Research Online.

Bowen, A. Glenn. (2009). Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027.

Chua, L. C., & Mosha, J. H. (2015a). Managing School Internal Mechanisms for Performance Improvement in Secondary Education: Case of Six Secondary Schools in Eastern Zone in Tanzania. SAGE Open, October-December. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015610172

Confeld, S. (2016). The Importance of a Positive School Culture [A Master’s Project, Adler Graduate School]. https://alfredadler.edu/library/masters/2016/sara-confel

Duan, X., Du, X., & Yu, K. (2018). School Culture and School Effectiveness: The Mediating Effect of Teachers’ Job Satisfaction. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 17(5), 15–24.https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.17.5.2

Farmer, J., & Jensen, B. (2013). School Turnaround in Shanghai The Empowered Management Program Approach to Improving School Performance. Centre for American Progress. www.americanprogress.org

Gill, G. T. (2013). Culture, Complexity, and Informing: How Shared Beliefs Can Enhance Our Search for Fitness. Informing Science: The International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline, p. 16.

Iddi, A. (2016). A Comparative Assessment of the Academic Performance among Public and Private Junior High Schools in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana [Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology]. https://www.educationdevelopmenttrust.com/EducationDevelopmentTrust/files/a3/a359e571-7033-41c7-8fe7-9ba60730082e.pdf

Jerotich, R. K. (2015). The Effect of the Level of Motivation of Kiswahili Teachers on Performance of Students in Secondary Schools in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Keiyo Sub-County, Kenya. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(29), 1–6.

Klevan, S., & Villavicencio, A. (2016). Strategies of Improving School Culture: Educator Reflections on Transforming the High School Experience for Black and Latin Young Men. Research Alliance for New York City Schools. http://http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/research_alliance/publications/esi_school_culture

Krejcier, V. R., & Morgan, W. D. (1970). Determining Sample Size for Research Activities. 30, 607–610.

Lebrón, A. (2013). What is Culture? Merit Research Journal of Education and Review, 1(6), 126–132. http://www.meritresearchjournals.org/er/index.htm

Lee, M., & Louis, S. K. (2019). Mapping a Strong School Culture and Linking it to Sustainable School Improvement. Teaching and Teacher Education, 81, 84–96.

Leighton, P. J. (2013). External Validity. In Encyclopedia of Research Design (pp. 467 471). SAGE. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412961288.n146

Leuven, E., Oosterbeek, H., & Klaauw, D. V. B. (2010). The Effect of Financial Rewards on Students Achievement: Evidence from a Randomised Experiment. Journal of the European Economic Association, 8(6), 1243–1265.

Loeb, S., Dynarski, S., McFarland, D., Morris, P., Reardon, S., & Reber, S. (2017). Descriptive analysis in education: A guide for researchers. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20174023/pdf/20174023.pdf

Makewa, N. L., Role, E., Role, J., & Yegoh, E. (2011). School Climate and Academic Performance in High and Low Achieving Schools: Nandi Central District, Kenya. International Journal of Scientific Research in Education, 4(2), 93–104. http://www.ijsre.com

Muasya, P. M., Njuguna, W. F., & Ogola. (2017). Relationship between Head Teachers’ Instructional Leadership Practices and the Academic Performance of Students in Machakos County, Kenya. European Journal of Education Studies, 3(4), 661–671. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.556204

Mudulia, M. A. (2012). The Relationship between Availability of Teaching/Learning Resources and Performance in Secondary School Science Subjects in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 3(4), 530–536.

Mugenda, O. N., & Mugenda A. G. (1999). Research Methods: A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach. ACTS press.

Ndaji, F., Little, J., & Coe, R. (2016). A comparison of Academic Achievement in Independent and State Schools. Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, Durham University. http://www.cem.org/

Ngala, B. J. A. F., & Odebero, O. S. (2010). Teachers’ perceptions of staff development programmes as it relates to teachers' teacher effectiveness: A study of rural primary schools in Kenya. Educational Research and Review, 5(1), 1–9.

Nulty, D. D. (2008). The Adequacy of Response Rates to Online and Paper Surveys: What can be done? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(3), 301– 314. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293070129323

OECD. (2016). "Building Student Motivation and Pursuing Excellence in the Netherlands” Netherland 2016: Foundation for the future. OECD Publishing.

Peterson, D. K., & Deal, E. T. (2009). The Shaping School Culture Fieldbook (2nd Ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Prokopchuk, J. (2016). Unpacking the Impact of School Culture: A Principal’s Role in Creating and Sustaining the Culture of a School. Saskatchewan Educational Leadership Unit Research Review Journal, 1(2), 73–82. https://selu.usask.ca/documents/research-and-publications/srrj/SRRJ-1-2- Prokopchuk.pdf

Quinn, E. R., & Rohrbaugh, J. (1983). A Spatial Model of Effectiveness Criteria: Towards a Competing Values Approach to Organisational Analysis. Management Science, 29(3), 363–377. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2631061

Rahiem, H. D. M., Abdullah, M. S. N., & Rahim, H. (2012). School Culture and the Moral Development of Children. IPEDR, 56(23), 114–118. https://doi.org/10.7763/IPED

Recepo?lu, E. (2013). The Significance of Assumptions Underlying School Culture in the Process of Change. International Journal of Educational Research and Technology, 4(2), 43–48. http://www.soeagra.com/ijert/ijertjune2013/7.pdf

Rowell, L., & Hong, E. (2013). Academic Motivation: Concepts, Strategies, and Counseling Approaches. Professional School Counseling, 16(3), 158–171.

Schulze, S., & Heerden, van M. (2015a). Learning environments matter: Identifying influences on the motivation to learn science. South African Journal of Education, 35(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/0.15700/saje.v35n2a1058

Simatwa, E. M. W., & Namusonge, G. S. (2018). The Relationship between Student Motivation and Academic Achievement in Kenyan Secondary Schools. Journal of Education and Practice, 9(2), 12-19.

Statistics Canada. (2010). Survey Methods and Practices. Minister of Industry. w w w. s t a t c a n. g c . c a Simatwa, E. M. W., & Namusonge, G. S. (2018). The Relationship between Student Motivation and Academic Achievement in Kenyan Secondary Schools. Journal of Education and Practice, 9(2), 12–19.

Teasley, L. M. (2016). Organisational Culture and Schools: A Call for Leadership and Collaboration. Children & Schools, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdw048

Tony, B. (2015). Organisation theory in education: How does it inform school leadership? Journal of Organizational Theory in Education, 1(1), 35–47.

Trombly, E. C. (2014). Schools and Complexity. Complicity: An International Journal of Complexity and Education, 11(2), 40–58.

UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report. (2016). Every Child Should Have a Textbook (Policy Paper 23). UNESCO. https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/sites/gem-report/files/ References%20Textbooks%202016.pdf

Walberg, J. H. (1984). Improving the productivity of America’s schools. Educational Leadership, 41(8), 19–27.

Xu, Z. (2016). Just Do It! Reducing Academic Procrastination of Secondary Students. Intervention in School and Clinic, 57(4), 212–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451215589178

Yalew, E., Dawit, A. & Alemayehu, G. (2010). Assessment of Grade Eight Students Academic Achievement in Amhara Region. Amhara Region Education Bureau: Bahir Dar.