Factors Affecting Egsece Achievement of Students In Government and Non-Government Schools of Addis Ababa

The primary purpose of this study was to compare EGSECE achievement of students in government and non-government schools and examine the relationship of factors that affect EGSECE achievement. Besides it tried to examine the prediction of EGSECE with the six independent factors parental involvement, homework, class size, school facilities, teacher competency, and principal leadership. Five government and five nongovernment secondary school students were used in this study. A questionnaire was applied to 362 student participants who completed a questionnaire that addressed characteristics analyzed for each group. The 362 participants were randomly chosen to respond to items on parental involvement, homework, class size, school facilities, teacher competency, and principal leadership. Data from the completed questionnaires were reported using descriptive statistics and frequency data. Major findings of the study were that the mean value for each of the independent variables of non-government schools was greater than the government schools, and the t-test computed revealed that there was statistically significant difference on EGSECE achievement between government and non-government schools in favor of non-government schools. Besides, the correlation of the independent variables to the dependent variable was low for both government and non-government schools EGSECE GPA. Parental involvement (t = 5.39, p < 0.01) and class size (t = 3.12, p < 0.01) were positive predictors to students’ academic achievement for government schools; and none of the predictor variables influence the achievement of EGSECE in non-government schools. The predictor variables account for 13% of the variability in the criterion variable; CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background of the Study Historically, examinations were given to certify completion of a program at a satisfactory level of achievement, and select candidates for higher education, professional training, and thus, ultimately, for employment. The prospect of the examination affects student's motivation to achieve, influencing the quality of his/her work; the test paper itself legitimizes the school's course of study and shapes what teachers do in the classroom; and the results form part of parents' evaluation of their children's schooling (Eckstein, 1994). While not always conclusive, examinations have powerful influences on individual’s success in adult life. They also serve as a gauge of the quality of a nation's educational efforts and its workforce. Taxpayers and politicians use the results to estimate how well national resources have been spent, to measure the status and relative progress of regional, social, or ethnic group relative to another, and to compare their nation's educational level with that of other nations (Eckstein, 1994). This holds true for many countries. Following the Education and Training Policy (TGE, 1994), the structure of Education in Ethiopia, which was of 6+2+4, has been replaced by the 8+4 structure. The latter offers 8 years of primary education divided into two cycles each having four years duration and four years of secondary education divided into another two cycles each having two years duration. In the context of Ethiopia, it has been felt that the new 8+4 general education structure enables to reduce examination cost associated with the various terminal examinations prepared centrally particularly those of Grades 6 and 8, as well as encourage Higher Education Institutions to set reliable admission examinations appropriate to their requirements. National examinations at grade 8 and 12 date back to the days of Emperor Haile Selassie while examinations at grade 6 were also administered in the past when the system had a 6+4+4 structure (World Bank, 2005). Although grade 8 examinations were regionalized in 1999 they still are used to select students for grade 9. The Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate examination at grade 12 was replaced in 2003 by the Ethiopian Higher Education Qualification Examination (EHEQUE). This examination is used for the selection of students into postsecondary education. The Ethiopian General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (EGSECE) at grade 10 is a recent phenomenon which was introduced in 2001 to be used as a selection criterion for grade 11 (World Bank, 2005). Based on the achievements attained in EGSECE students are streamed into academic (College preparation) and vocational and technical programs. Those who join the academic fields are expected to sit for EHEQUE after two years of preparation while the others either join the labor market or be self-employed. In Addis Ababa there are many types of secondary schools. For this study, these schools have been categorized as government and nongovernment schools. These secondary schools plan and execute their teaching and learning program, which usually includes Amharic, Mathematics, English, physics, chemistry, Biology, Civics, History, and geography, on the basis of the centrally designed curriculum prepared by the Ministry of Education. Controlling and supervision of the implementation of the curriculum is the responsibility of regional education bureaus. The minimum level of qualification to teach in both government and non-government secondary schools is at least a bachelor degree. Certification ensures that a teacher has gone through the training required by the state policy, which includes student teaching and coursework. There are also some differences between these two types of general secondary schools in areas such as source of finance, class size, time spent by students in school compound, and the day-to-day timetable. Government schools do not charge tuition. They are funded through the city administration’s revenue. Non-government schools generate their income through tuition. The tuition fee they charge varies from one type of school to another depending on the quality of services they provide and the reputations they have in their community. As opposed to non-government schools, government schools admit children with diverse abilities. To enroll in government schools parents register their children only by filling out the necessary paperwork. Nongovernment schools are highly selective. They are not obliged to accept every child, and in many non-government schools admission is very competitive. This study was conceived when the writer was in Addis Ababa Education Bureau since 2006. During his work in the Addis Ababa Education Bureau, the writer got many opportunities to participate in the annual education conferences of the Bureau for many years. The participants of the annual conference include heads of the bureau and sub-city education departments, education experts, representatives of school principals, students, parents’ committee members, etc of government and non-government schools. Issues of discussion at the conference mainly include access to and equity of education, quality of education, efficiency whose main component include students’ achievement gap between government and non-government schools. The causes for students achievement gap had been raised to be, among many, parental involvement, homework, class size, school facilities, teacher competency, and principal leadership. These factors developed in the writer a strong desire to undertake a systematic study as factors affecting EGSECE achievement of students in government and non-government schools of Addis Ababa. 1.2. Statement of the Problem Comparison of student's achievement can be done in terms of many variables of which some of them are parental involvement, homework and tutorial, class size, school facilities, teacher competency and principal’s leadership. For instance, parents with higher income and education are more likely to have higher expectations for their children’s educational attainment, have knowledge about their children’s educational options and involve their children in intellectual activities (Cookson, 1994). These factors have a positive impact on student learning. On the other side, lower socioeconomic status parents have fewer economic resources from which to purchase books and other items to improve academic outcomes of their children (Blau, 1999). In Addis Ababa, no study has been conducted on the impact of these factors on student achievement in government and non-government secondary schools. In spite of the similarities between these two types of schools such as implementing the centrally designed curriculum, follow the directives and policies of the MOE, duration of study, and students’ preparation for the same type of national examination (EGSECE) there are some other factors like source of finance and student admission on which these schools differ. The influence of these other factors on which the two types of schools differ on students’ achievement of EGSECE was not yet studied. Hence, in this study an attempt was made to examine the impacts of factors that affect students’ EGSECE achievement in government and non-government secondary schools. 1.3. Research Questions The main purpose of the study was investigating factors affecting EGSECE achievement of students in government and non-government general secondary schools in Addis Ababa. The specific objectives of the study are:i. Compare EGSECE achievement of students in government and non-government secondary schools of Addis Ababa. ii. Examine the relationship of factors that affect students achievement in EGSECE between government and nongovernment secondary schools of Addis Ababa. iii. Examine the prediction of EGSECE with the factors that affect students academic achievement. Hence the study is expected to answer the following basic questions:i. Is there statistically significant difference between government and non-government secondary schools of Addis Ababa in EGSECE achievement? ii. Is there any significant correlation between student academic achievement in EGSECE and parental involvem