Factors affecting pupils’ academic performance in day primary schools in Nakasongola town council

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the factors affecting pupils’ academic performance in day primary schools in Nakasongola town council.Several studies have highlighted different factors that affect pupils’ academic performance however no studies have looked at the factors affecting performance of pupils in Nakasongola Town Council. The main objective of this study was to determine the factors affecting the level of academic performance of pupils in day primary schools in Nakasongola town council. Studies have been done in the educational data mining area to search out what factors have an effect on a pupil’s academic performance. I used a questionnaire to collect the data I needed about the different factors relating to the academic performance of pupils.Univariate, bivariate and multivariate were used in the analysis of the findings and linear regression was applied to investigate the effect of different factors on pupils’ academic performance in Nakasongola town council day primary schools. The results of the study revealed that age of the pupil, estimated distance between home and school, average time taken between home and school, pupils’ rating of teacher’s attention to pupil, and pupils’ comfort ability about the number of pupils in class were significantly related to pupil’s last term average mark. To the contrary sex of the pupil, parents’ marital status, class of the pupil, father’s/guardian’s highest education level, mother’s/guardian’s main occupation, father’s/mother’s main occupation, person who pays the pupil’s school fees and means of transport to school were found not to be significant factors that affected pupils’ academic performance. To improve pupils’ performance, there is need for schools to make provision for more and better classroom sitting facilities, there should be staff motivation so as to encourage them to report to schools to perform their duties in the classrooms.