Effect of Secondary School Categorization on Value Addition in Public Secondary Schools Students in Kenya

Abstract

Secondary schools in Kenya are categorized as national, extra-county, county, sub-county and private secondary schools. Students who excelled in K.C.S.E examination with a minimum grade of C+ are allowed to pursue different courses in public and private universities. Others who scored C and C- grade joined diploma colleges. The paper sought to establish the effect of secondary school categorization on academic value addition in public secondary schools students at fourth form in Kenya. The scope of the study was limited to all the students from public secondary schools in the four counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, and Vihiga in Kenya. It was limited to randomly chosen sample size of 464 students, 58 principals, and 58 directors of studies from the 58 sampled out public secondary schools. Wellberg’s (1981) theory of educational productivity was employed. The paper employed mixed methods and survey research design. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, interview schedules, focused group discussions and analysis of secondary data. Content validity was determined through subject matter expert review while reliability was determined through test-retest measures for consistency. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Inferential one was the Kruskal Wallis test. The paper findings showed that value addition in public secondary schools in Kenya was not based on secondary school characteristics. The study concluded that irrespective of the score at KCPE and the category of public secondary school a student is admitted after KCPE, a student can add academic value. It was therefore recommended public secondary school characteristics which allowed student improvement at national and extra county school levels more than at sub-county and county secondary schools levels should be duplicated at county and sub county school levels.