Browsing by Author "Henry, Rosada"

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    Determinants of poor academic achievement of girls in public secondary schools: a case study of Kibaha district
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2014) Henry, Rosada
    The purpose of this study was to find out the determinant factors on girls’ poor academic achievement in Public Secondary School in Coastal Region - Kibaha. The study strove to identify factors based on students levels of cultural capital at home, work -habits, parent academic, social and economic background, parental attitudes towards girls academic performance in school. Khatz and Khan Model (1966) was modified to guide the study. The study was conducted in four PSSs with 142 respondents who included students, parents, teachers, Head teachers and (DEO). Data was collected though questionnaires, interview schedules, documentation and FGD. Data collected were calculated to determine the frequencies and some data were analyzed in terms of their percentages and lastly, the remaining data was analyzed by providing explanations and descriptions supported by examples. The findings of the study indicate that in rural or urban areas, household chores affect students’ academic achievement. Due to the perception of gender roles in the researched areas, household chores had a greater effect on girls compared to boys. The findings also indicate that girls spend less time on academic matters after school hours than boys. Although both girls and boys were equally exposed to less media, accessibility to them was less for girls compared to boys. Moreover, the findings show that the majority (80%) of the parents agree that there is a need to educate both girls and boys. However, some of the parents believe that girls do not need higher education and thus, these parents do not take much effort to encourage the girls to attain higher education. On the basis of the findings and conclusions, it is recommended that parents should provide equal time for studying after school hours to both boys and girls. However, improvement will be realized only if parents are encouraged to change their attitudes towards girls’ education so that they can engage in more educationally relevant activities with their children. The society’s convert practices which change girls’ study habits and aspiration should be eliminated. Parent teacher relationships should also be improved as these are vital for better achievement. With regard to further research, it is recommended, among other things, that a study be conducted to assess the poor achievement of both boys and girls in the rural areas.