Relationship between cultural factors and secondary school students’ performance in chemistry in Samburu County, Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between students' performance in chemistry at secondary schools in Samburu County and their cultural factors. A survey with correlations was the study design that was used. The target group consisted of all secondary school chemistry students in Samburu County. The accessible population in 2023 consisted of all Form Three Chemistry students in the County. Using cluster sampling, nine secondary schools public and private were selected as sample units. Using simple and stratified random sampling, 286 students were selected as a sample from the accessible population. The four instruments used to gather the data were the Students' Chemistry Performance Test (SCPT), Students' Cultural Beliefs and Practices Questionnaire (SCBPQ), Students' Religion Questionnaire (SRQ), and Students' Cultural Traditions Interview Schedule (SCTIS). The instruments were validated and pilot tested before being used. The reliability coefficients for SCPT, SCBPQ, and SRQ were 0.80, 0.85, and 0.81, respectively. To analyze the collected data, a mix of descriptive and inferential statistics was employed. To assess the quantitative data from the SCPT, descriptive statistics were used. The frequencies, means, and percentages of the data were used in the analysis. The qualitative data from the SCTIS was evaluated using the Chi-Square Test and a logical approach. To ascertain the relationships between the various variables, the study used Simple Linear Regression and the Chi-Square test. All statistical tests of significance were conducted at a coefficient level of alpha (α) equal to 0.05 using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 for Windows. The following were the study's conclusions: Chemistry students’ performance was below average (23.64%), with boys' schools outperforming coeducational and girls' schools. The chemistry performance of students was shown to have stronger statistically significant connections with cultural practices (r = 0.115, P < 0.05), traditions (r = 8.533, P > P), and religion (r = 0.031, P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation found between students' performance in chemistry and cultural beliefs (r = -0.002, P > 0.05). It is recommended that significant educational decisions be made as early in high school as feasible. The main objectives of these actions should be to reduce the impact of cultural factors that are known to worsen students' performance in chemistry and to begin offering in-service training to science teachers. This will provide them with the skills necessary to teach chemistry more effectively. The findings of the study will assist curriculum developers, teacher educators, policy makers, and chemistry instructors in addressing the required interventions to enhance meaningful chemistry learning and, consequently, improve students' performance in the subject in secondary schools across the country