| dc.description.abstract | Kenya's government implemented free primary education in 2003 as part of its attempts to attain
universal primary education. Despite these attempts, worries about the educational quality have
grown. Due to a rise in pupils’ enrollment, the teacher-to-pupil and pupil-to-textbook ratios, as
well as classrooms, are strained. The purpose of this study was to find out how free primary
education affects pupils’ academic performance in public primary schools in Laikipia West Sub County. The research looked into the impact of teaching-learning resources, pupil-teacher ratios,
teaching-learning methods, and teachers' perceptions on pupil performance in Laikipia West Sub County public primary schools. The study was anchored on Cognitive Behavioral Theory,
Systematic Approach to Instruction Theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. The research
employed descriptive survey design. The target population was 490 teachers from 49 public
primary schools in Laikipia West Sub County. A sample size of 220 teachers was selected using
simple random sampling method. The researcher also targeted 10 head teachers. Semi-structured
questionnaires and interview guides were used to obtain primary data. Thematic content analysis
was used to examine qualitative data, while quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and
inferential statistics. The association between free primary education characteristics and pupils'
academic performance was determined using correlation analysis. multiple regression model was
used to determine the influence of independent variables on the dependent variable. Reliability
results indicated Cronbach’s alpha values greater than 0.7, implying that the questionnaire was
reliable. The findings also indicated that teaching learning resources, teaching-learning methods,
and teachers’ perception had a positive and significance influence on pupils performance in public
primary schools. Further, pupil teacher ratio had a negative and significant influence on pupils’
performance. The study concluded that the most significant predictor of pupils’ performance was
teaching-learning resources, followed by teaching-learning methods, followed by teachers’
perception, and lastly pupil-teacher ratio. The study recommended the need for the government of
Kenya through the Ministry of Education to provide sufficient teaching-learning resources to
public primary schools; to provide sufficient teachers to public primary schools; to strengthen
teaching-learning methods in public primary schools. In particular, key emphasis should be on
subject matter, learner’s assignment, and assessment test. In particular, the focus should be on the
following aspects: teachers class attendance, teachers’ responsiveness, syllabus coverage and
overcrowded classrooms. This study makes a significant contribution towards policy, practice and
theory in the field of education leadership and management. | en_US |
