THESIS TITLE: Influence of School Based Factors on Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya 

STUDENTS NAME: – Bulowa Johnson Majimbo

SUPERVISORS 

1. Prof. Julius Maiyo
2. Dr. Sarah Likoko

ABSTRACT 

The educational performance of a learning institution is crucial in the attaining educational goals. Thus, the provision of quality education and subsequent high academic performance in school is inevitable for the realization of millennium development goals and the vision 2030. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of school based factors on academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County in Kenya. The objectives of study were to; determine the influence of staffing status on academic performance, establish the influence of school culture on academic performance, evaluate the influence of BOM support on academic performance, determine the influence of school instructional supervision on academic performance, establish the influence of the leadership characteristics on academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans Nzoia County in Kenya. 

Ex-post facto research design was used. The study was guided by the Education Production Function theory (EPF), which states that there is a relationship between physical output of a production process and physical inputs or factors of production. The study was considered significant and timely because the government, parents and other stakeholders in education spent a lot of resources in education. The study targeted 257 public secondary schools. Using census, all the 257 Directors of Studies from 257 schools were sampled, and 5 Teachers Service Commission sub-County Directors were purposively sampled. Questionnaire and interview schedules were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, weighted averages and simple regression. The study established that school based factors significantly influenced academic performances in public secondary schools in Trans Nzoia. These factors include staffing status, school culture and board of management roles, instructional supervision and leadership characteristics. The study concluded that school based factors are crucial in students’ academic performance. The study recommended that the government through the Ministry of Education should create enabling environment in schools to enhance students’ academic performance, by ensuring that TSC increases numbers of teachers in schools, positive school culture to be created by those in leadership, BOM members to undergo induction training in management and the TSC to organize in-service courses in instructional supervision and leadership skills.