Relationship between Financial Resources and Students' Performance in Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract

Primary schools exist to fulfil certain mandates that include offering quality education to learners, maximizing the stakeholders' interest, social responsibility and ethics. However, the achievement of these mandates has not been easy due to increased demand for primary education in Kenya while the resources are still minimal. Many scholars observe that the quest for provision of quality education continues to be a matter of leading concern to both consumers and providers of the education service in Kenya and the developing countries.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the financial resources and pupils' performance. The conceptual framework shows the relationship between the financial resources as independent variable with pupils' performance as dependent variable. Instruments of data collection were questionnaires, interview schedule, Focus Group Discussion and document analysis. Piloting of instruments was done in seven schools which were not included in the study. Validity of research instruments both face and content were presented to experts in the department of education management and foundation for evaluation and recommendation. Reliability was calculated by using the test re- test and Pearson r coefficient of 0.84at a set p – value of 0.05 was considered reliable. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics in form of frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data was transcribed and analyzed in emergent themes and sub themes. The findings show that the headteachers and teachers had a mean rating of 3.08(high) and 3.50(very high) and that financial resources accounted for 8.4% (Adjusted R Square = -0.084) of the variation in the academic performance. The implication was that proper financing of school affects academic performance of primary schools. The findings of this study are significant to policy makers, education planners and implementers of quality assurance in primary schools.