EFFECTS OF DISCIPLINE FORMS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN GUCHA SOUTH SUB-COUNTY, KISII COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Discipline among students is a key aspect towards academic achievement. However, majority of public secondary schools are threatened by lack of discipline among their students. More so, in the field of academia, few studies have attempted to ascertain the relationship between discipline and the academic performance of students. Student discipline remain key component in attaining positive outcomes in schools. Besides having numerous initiatives by the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Education (MoE) in addressing school indiscipline, such cases remain at a crucial area to conduct further research.The purpose of the study will examine effects of discipline forms on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Gucha South Sub-County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to determine the effect of truancy on students’ academic performance, to assess the effect of examination cheating on students’ academic performance, to examine the effect of vandalism on students’ academic performance and to establish extent the effect of homework on students’ academic performance. The study adopted the social learning theory. The study targeted15 schools, 15 Deputy principals,15 guidance $ counselling HODS ,780 students and 1 SQASO. Out of a target population of 811 respondents, a total of 109 respondents were selected for the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Questionnaires and scheduled interviews were administered to the respondents. Data obtained from the interviews and questionnaires was processed and analyzed descriptively. Qualitative data was subjected to descriptive statistics while quantitative data was subjected to correlation analysis using Pearson correlation and regression co-efficient. The instruments were piloted among 2 public secondary schools in Marani Sub-County. Validity of the instruments was ascertained through expert judgment while reliability was ascertained through test-retest method. Both descriptive and inferential statistics analyses were used to establish the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variables of the study. The study found out that students miss to attend classes. These students therefore miss teaching and learning processes which lower their academic performance. The leading effect of examination cheating was cancellation of the examination results. Majority of the study participants agreed that vandalism led to destruction of text book, students’ notebook. The study also revealed that majority of the students are given homework rarely therefore they do not review the content taught in class. The findings also showed that students’ who did homework regularly performed better than those who do not.