The Institutional Factors Affecting the Achievement in Physics in Tripoli, Libya

Abstract

This study primarily attempts to investigate if there is any relationship between selected factors namely gender, school and student factors and academic achievement in physics of high school students in Tripoli, Libya.The sample consisted of 100 science students, 50 males and 50 females from two randomly chosen high schools in Tripoli, Libya. Two instruments were used in the study. The physics achievement test (PAT), was designed to assess student performance in physics. The second was a student questionnaire (SQ), designed to obtain information on personal characteristics of the students, school factors and student factors. The main findings of the study indicae that gender was found to be significantly associated with achievement in physics. Specifically, female students were found to perform better than male students. Among the school factors, the factor which emerged as influencing students' achievement in physics was the teacher factor.