Influence of Instructional Resources on Academic Perfomance in Gatanga Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya primary education has struggled with the problem of poor performance in national examinations especially in core subjects offered within the curriculum. Gatanga Sub-County of Kenya has been performing poorly in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. The purpose of this study was to establish whether instructional resources influence academic performancein Gatanga Sub-County. The study was guided by the following specific objective: To establish influence of instructional resources on academic performance in Gatanga Sub-County. The study adopted descriptive survey design. Data was collected using a questionnaire and a document analysis. The target population for the study was 83 head teachers, 1021 teachers and 5 Curriculum Support Officers in Gatanga Sub-County. The public primary schools were selected for the study using stratified random sampling technique. A sample of 25 head teachers and 306 teachers and 2 Curriculum Support Officers participated in the study. Validity was ascertained through pilot study. Reliability was ascertained using test-retest method and it was found to be 0.75. Quantitative data was analyzed using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, while qualitative data from document analysis were transcribed and grouped into themes and sub-themes as they emerged from an ongoing data collection process. The most significant finding was that, instructional resources in Gatanga Sub-County are inadequate yet resources are critical to good performance. These finding can be a reference to schools in Gatanga Sub-County on the influence of instructional resources for improved academicperformance. The conclusion is that in most schools resources like textbooks, charts, e-content (Tafakari) are not adequate these resources are key in academic achievement therefore performance in this county is declining due to lack of adequate resources.