Relationship between Physical Facilities and Students Performance in Biology in Secondary Schools in Nandi County, Kenya

Abstract

School Physical facilities is a key base for learning in all institutions. They include classrooms, science laboratories, libraries, dormitories and recreational facilities. Classrooms play a key role in day to day formal teaching and learning. The libraries enable learners to get an opportunity to conduct their personal studies or carry out research as the research materials are found there. Recreational facilities are important for co-curricular activities that enable learners to be psychologically and physically fit. Dormitories on the other hand enable students to be housed in schools to hence finding enough time to carry out their studies. Physical facilities that have been put up in schools vary to enable teaching and learning for quality education. The purpose of this study therefore was to establish the relationship between physical facilities and students' performance in biology in secondary schools in Nandi County, Kenya. The study was guided by systems theory whose proponent is Bertalanffy and adopted ex post facto research design namely the causal comparative. The study population comprised of 125 secondary schools in Nandi County, Kenya. Stratified sampling was used to select 25 schools. A total 25 principals and 25 directors of studies were included in the sample. Data was collected using questionnaires, document analysis schedule and observation schedule. Descriptive statistics used in analysis included frequencies, means and percentages. Hypothesis was tested using, Anova at alpha =0.05.The study established that there was no statistical significance relationship between the level of availability of physical facilities and students' performance in biology. The study concluded that there is a relationship between the level of availability of physical facilities and students' performance in biology in secondary schools. The study recommended that the government should allocate all schools equal resources yearly to enable the establishment of physical resources.