Social factors and students' perfomance in History in secondary schoolsin Entebbe Municipality.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between social factors and students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality. The study was conducted in that particular area because in the past ten years, students’ academic performance in schools has been low. The study intended to achieve the four objectives namely, to establish the relationship between i) discipline ii) parental care iii) teacher-student relationship and iv) income level of parents, and students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality. The study adopted both correlational and cross-sectional survey research designs. The quantitative approach of data collection was employed using self-administered questionnaires and administering a history test. The study employed the simple random and systematic sampling methods and a total of 271 respondents constituted the sample of the study. These were students from Uganda Airforce Secondary School, Entebbe Secondary School, Green Stars High School and Mary Reparatrix Secondary School. The researcher used two types of research instruments that is the self-administered questionnaire (SAQs) and administering a history test. Data was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient technique of analysis. The results established that there was a weak significant positive relationship between discipline and students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality. Secondly, that there was a weak negative relationship between parental care and students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality. Thirdly, that there was weak significant positive relationship between teacher-student relationship and students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality and that there was a weak significant negative relationship between income levels of parents and students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality. The conclusions of the study were that there were significant influences between the three independent variables (discipline, teacher-student relationship and income level of parents) on students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality and the independent variable (parental care) had no significant influence on students’ performance in History in secondary schools in Entebbe Municipality. Recommendations were made to teachers to encourage students to be disciplined in schools, school managers to establish ways in which parents can provide care to their children and to ensure that they relate well with their teachers and finally parents be encouraged to have a good level of income to facilitate their children’s performance.