Influence of School Type on Secondary School Students’ Performance in Mathematics in Nyahururu and Laikipia North Sub-Counties, Laikipia County, Kenya

Abstract

Performance in Mathematics is valued in all societies due to its strong foundation for a country’s scientific development. Consequently, performance in mathematics is a global issue of concern at the high school level of education. Further, Mathematics performance in Kenyan secondary schools has been wanting, especially in both Nyahururu and Laikipia North Sub-Counties. Hence, this study examined the influence of school type in terms of mixed day secondary schools, mixed boarding secondary schools, single sexed boys, and single sexed girls’ secondary schools. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. Data was collected from a sample of 393 respondents from both Nyahururu and Laikipia North Sub-Counties. The Central Limit Theorem was used to select 16 secondary schools. The study applied a stratified random sampling technique in order to distribute respondents proportionately to the identified school types. Data was collected from both students and their Mathematics teachers using questionnaires, while personal interviews were used to collect data from school principals. Students’ focus group discussions were also used to triangulate data. The reliability of the research instruments was estimated using test-retests, while validity was determined by piloting the research instruments. The analysis of data was done using frequencies, percentages, and linear regression analysis at a 0.05 level of significance using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study revealed that there was a statistical relationship between school type and students’ performance in Mathematics with Linear Regression analysis at (r²=0.639; p>0.0423) in the Nyahururu sub-county and (r²=0.693; p>0.0475) in Laikipia North sub-county. These study findings led to the conclusion that there is a need for education stakeholders to pay more attention to factors that seem to influence girls’ performance in Mathematics negatively compared to their male counterparts.