Factors that influence the learning of grade 10 & 12 learners in the classroom in the Khomas education region

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2007
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
The results of learners at the end of the academic year are one area in which the general public expects to see an improvement. This is not so in Namibia, when one looks at the results from the Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Examinations (IGCSE) for the year 2004. It is this lack of significant improvement in some subjects that has caused concern among parents and the general public. In fact, this concern has motivated many stakeholders in education to attempt to establish the problems learners face in the classroom, the objective being to assist them to improve their learning. The major purpose of this study, therefore, was to obtain from learners their views regarding the factors in the classroom that affect their learning. In addition, the study attempted to identify teacher support strategies that learners would need in order to improve their learning. A learner questionnaire was administered to a proportional stratified sample of 637 grades 10 and 12 learners from the Khomas Education Region. Ninety percent of the learners completed and returned the learner questionnaire. The results obtained indicated that the most frequently reported factors that influence learning in the classroom were: motivation, learners’ self-esteem, self-efficacy, learners’ locus of control, attitude towards learning, relevance of subject matter, teacher factors and classroom size. There were some significant relationships of the learners’ views when broken down by grade level, gender, repeaters, and hostel or home dwelling. However, the researcher found no significant relationships of the learners’ views on the other variables such as age, language, class size and home location The results of the study further revealed some teacher support strategies that learners would need to improve their learning. These support strategies included behavioral, psychosocial, emotional and language support. As a result of the findings from this study, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education (MoE) should, as a matter of urgency, make subjects like Life Skills and Religious and Moral Education (RME) promotional subjects, which, it is believed, would help learners to improve their learning. It is also recommended that the MoE should establish soup kitchens to provide food during break time in all schools to cater for many children who attend school without food, in order to address sufficiently the gap it has created in the learning environment. Finally, all the factors, expressed by learners as influencing learning in the classroom, should be addressed with the urgency they deserve if progress is to be expected in learner performance.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education
Keywords
Learning, Khomas education region
Citation