Examining Students’ Study Habits and Their Impact on Performance in Chemistry Examination in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

The role of STEM education is key in attainment of Kenya’s Vision 2030, which prioritizes Science, Technology and Innovation. Within STEM, Chemistry serves as one of the major discipline yet its performance has remained low. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between students' study habits and performance in Chemistry examinations in Bungoma County. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, the study employed descriptive correlational research designs. A census approach was used to include all the 8 Sub-counties in Bungoma County, one school from each Sub-county was then purposively selected based on school category. The sample size of 260 students from the target population of 790 form 4 students was derived by Morgan’s table. Proportionate allocation sampling by Kothari was then applied to allocate the sample size across schools. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data on students’ study habits and document review guide to collect data on students’ chemistry exam scores. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics revealed study habit mean of M = 3.15, indicating a moderate engagement of students with appropriate study habits. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.624, P < 0.001), implies that employing appropriate study habits by students improves their performance in Chemistry examination. Regression analysis (b = 0.203) shows that a unit increase in appropriate study habits results in a 20.3% improvement in performance in chemistry examinations. The study concluded that students study habits have a direct role in influencing their performance in chemistry examinations. The study recommended an emphasis on ‘learning to learn’ competency by incorporating study efficiency techniques into weekly guiding and counseling sessions in schools. Teachers are urged to honor students’ scheduled revision time, allowing them to have supervised revision. They should also help individual students identify their personal study methods that work best for them.