EDUCATION AND TRAINING REVITALIZATION INNOVATIONS INFLUENCE OF STUDENTS SELF-CONCEPT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MERU SOUTH SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Mathematics has become the backbone for prosperity in almost all field of Life. Secondary school mathematics education lays a strong foundation for all types of learning at the secondary school level and more so at higher levels of learning. Thus, mathematics is a prerequisite for better achievement at higher stage. Developing individuals with strong self-concept do contribute significantly to their performance. Studies on self-concept and their impacts on academic performance have predominantly focused on teachers’ specific instructional methods. Students believe knowing mathematics is about remembering and applying certain rules correctively in a problem and that the only correct answer is the one given by the teacher. Most research into factors that influence academic performance mainly focus on cognitive domains but less on affective domains of learning. Students Self-concept has been linked to academic achievement, social adjustment, healthy behaviour and positive employment outcomes. Thus, there is comparatively little self-concepts research examining influence of students’ self- concept construct (academic effort, family background, students’ perception and number of contact hours of the teacher) on academic performance. The researcher used a quantitative approach using correlational design was utilized. Constructs of self-concept were hypothesized to influence academic performance. This design allows the understanding of important phenomena through the identification of relationship among variables. Simple random sampling was carried out in select Coeducational schools. The study population was all Form two students in Kitui County. The sample size was 277 Form two students in Meru South Sub- County, Kenya. The instrument for data collection was self-description questionnaire. Students completed self-concepts scales and the data was recorded. Students’ average marks were collected and then analyzed to observe whether there was a trend between high self-concept and higher academic performance. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using mean, standard deviation, a one way ANOVA with the help of Statistical Package of Social Scientists (SPSS) version 22.0. Cronbach alpha was used to test reliability of the research instrument. The reliability was found to be 0.84. The study revealed a strong relationship between students self – concept and academic performance. On students effort and students family background, girls recorded higher variability on interest in learning, Self-concept is perceived positively by students; however this does not affect directly students’ mathematical performance but does so when students put less efforts in solving problem on what has been taught to them previously. The researcher recommends that teachers and all stakeholders should take it as their responsibility to develop students’ positive self-concept when interacting with them. Keywords: Effect, Self-concept, academic performance, student perception, family background, contact hours