The Academic Performance of Female Students in Integrated Science in Junior High Schools: Evidence from Aowin Municipality, Western North Region of Ghana

Abstract

The study investigated factors responsible for the low performance of female students in integrated science in some selected Junior High Schools (JHS) in the Aowin Municipal of Western North region of Ghana. The study employed descriptive research design to investigate the determinants of female students’ poor performance in the subject. The sample size for the study comprised 375 JHS female students selected from five educational circuits in the Aowin Municipal. A four-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree) was developed and administered to the participants. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, specifically, mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed poor psychological state, teachers’ teaching practices/procedures and students’ socio-economic background as possible factors responsible for female students’ low academic performance in integrated science subject. It was recommended among others that the Municipal education office should organize workshops and seminars on the state-of-the-art procedure of teaching science subjects in the basic schools with particular emphasis on how to create a good learning atmosphere for the female students.