Factors affecting the performance of Islamic Junior high school students in the Tamale Metropolis

Abstract

Despite the efforts made by various governments in Ghana to expand and improve the quality of education at various stages of our educational institution, there are still a whole lot of students who are not able to make the required grades to enable them further their education at the Senior High School after their Basic Education Certificate Examination. (B.E.C.E). Islamic schools in the Tamale metropolis are among the schools in Ghana that have enjoyed the provision of educational infrastructure by successive governments, but the performance of these schools is not encouraging.The dissertation looks at factors affecting the performance of Islamic Junior High School students in the Tamale metropolis. The study focused on home related factors, teacher related factors, school related factors and cultural beliefs, on educational performance of students in the Tamale metropolis.Simple random sampling and purposive sampling procedures were used to select 130 respondents. These comprise 50 students from six selected Islamic schools, 50 parents from the same schools and 30 teachers. Questionnaires and interviews were the instruments used to gather data. The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics. Percentages were calculated and tables constructed to simplify the analysis.The outcome of the study indicates that, parents’ and guardians’ educational attainment affected their wards academic performance. Again, truancy among students is a major problem.It is recommended that a wider scale study be conducted nationwide in other unit schools, on factors affecting the performance of students in the schools.