Influence of Motivation on Girls’ Performance in Mathematics in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) In Baringo Central Sub-County

Abstract

Mathematics is an essential subject in the school curriculum in Kenya. It is a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary schools and plays an important role in the learning of other subjects. The learning of mathematics provides skills in thinking and is crucial for attaining educational qualifications at all levels of learning. Every student aspiring to advance their education in any tertiary institution of learning is expected to pass Mathematics, at least with a credit pass at the KCSE. However, girls’ achievement in Mathematics has been poor over the years at secondary school level. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of motivation on the performance of girls in Mathematics in KCSE in Baringo Central Sub-County. The study was guided by education production function theory developed by Eric Hanushek. The study was conducted in Baringo central sub county and adopted the descriptive survey research design with both quantitative and qualitative research methods being employed. The target population was 763 and it included 18 Mathematics teachers,6 Mathematics HoDs and 739 Form Four girls from 6 secondary schools in Baringo Central Sub-county. A sample size of 190 respondents comprising of 18 Mathematics teachers, 6 Mathematics HoDS and 166 girls was selected. Purposive sampling was used to select heads of departments and Mathematics teachers while the simple random sampling technique was used to select Form 4 girls. Two questionnaires, one for Mathematics teachers and the other for students and an interview schedule for Mathematics HOD were used in data collection. The research instruments were validated and tested for reliability using the test-retest method. The reliability coefficient for the student questionnaire instrument was 0. 7103.The collected data was analyzed using both inferential statistical techniques in which the Chi-square and Karl Pearson correlations were utilized as well as descriptive statistical techniques like standard deviation, percentages, frequency tables and means. The study established that the motivation of girls as an input factor had a significant influence (r=0.365, p=0.001) on girls' performance in KCSE Mathematics examinations. Thus the null hypothesis for the study were rejected. This means that there is a significant positive relationship between motivation of girls and their performance in Mathematics. The study concluded that the performance of girls in KCSE Mathematics was influenced by the motivation of the girls. The study recommends that teachers should always apply extrinsic motivation strategies in their classroom teaching in order to motivate the girls.