Teacher’s Level of Self-Efficacy and Learners’ Academic Achievement: An Empirical Context of Public Secondary Schools in Kiambu County, Kenya

Edith Njoroge; Anne Muiru; Benson Njoroge

doi:10.37284/eajes.8.1.2706

Edith Njoroge Mount Kenya University
Anne Muiru Mount Kenya University
Benson Njoroge Mount Kenya University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.8.1.2706

Keywords: Academic Achievement, Learners, Self-Efficacy, Teachers, Wellbeing

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Abstract

The Kenyan system of learning is heavily reliant on examination results, with education policy often assessed based on students' performance in national examinations. National students' performance at Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education over the years has been dismal. Despite the fact that most national schools are located in Kiambu County and consistently achieve excellent KCSE results, the 2022 KCSE analysis reveals that more than 50% of the 261 secondary schools in the County posted a mean standard score of less than 3.0. The study was guided by one research question; What is the influence of teachers’ level of self-efficacy on learners’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Kiambu County? The current study was guided by Ryff’s psychology model and complemented by the Production function theory. The study employed a concurrent triangulation research design and was conducted in public secondary schools in Kiambu County, Kenya with a target population of 116,333 individuals. The study sample was 688 individuals consisting of 23 principals (10%), 261 teachers (10%) and 3854 students (using Krejci and Morgan sampling tables) were sampled (261). Data collection utilized interview schedules for principals, questionnaires for teachers, and observation guides for students, supplemented by document analysis. Regression analyses showed that about 72.2% of variations in the learners’ academic achievement were attributed to teachers’ level of self-efficacy. The study concludes that there was a significant influence of teacher self-efficacy (F= .662, sig .724 on learners’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Kiambu County. Correlation with teacher’s level of self-efficacy being weak positive and insignificant (2-tailed). School managers to establish strategies for promoting teacher’s level of self-efficacy as it will moderate the teachers’ performance in relation to the academic achievement of the learners.

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