Influence of Participation in Athletics on Students’ Academic Performance in Uasin Gishu County

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of learners’ participation in athletic activitieson academic performance of students in secondary school Uasin Gishu County. The study was grounded on Astin’s theory of involvement, whichasserts that students learn more when they are involved in both academic and social aspects of the collegiate experience. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research process with a target population being students and teachers of Uasin Gishu County. Sample of 378 was calculated with aid Krecie & Morgan sample table and sample was arrived at through stratified sampling on secondary schools and simple random sampling on selected secondary schools whose students were picked without bias. Tools for data collection included questionnaire, in-depth interview and review of literature. The tools were calibrated on validity and reliability through expert check and Chronbach’s Alpha Coefficient, which was 0.76, which was fair enough for utility of the questionnaires.The achieved data was analyzed based on confidence level of 95%and person correlation coefficient and using descriptive statisticsthat included frequencies, standard deviation and mean. The analysis was carried out with help of SPSS program. The finding indicated that participation in athletic activities has potential to positively influence students’ academic performance (R=0.632; p<0.05). Athletics participationstimulates fine and gross motor growth, learner concentration and cognitive development. The finding suggests that schools need to create a conducive environment for participation in athletics and encourage the students to participate in order to enhance their performance.