Gender and students' academic achievement in Kiswahili language

Abstract

Gender is one of the key factors influencing students' academic achievement. In Hamisi District, Vihiga County in Kenya, achievement of students in Kiswahili language is poor, yet no comparison has been made between male and female students' achievement in order to assist in determining intervention strategies. The purpose of the study is to establish gender differences in achievement in Kiswahili language based on County Evaluation results of 2011. The study sample was 317 Form 4 students from 32 secondary schools in Hamisi District, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Document analysis guide method was used to seek information about students' academic achievement in Kiswahili language. Major findings of the study are; female students outperformed male students on the average. The study also revealed a statistically nonsignificant difference between males and females in …