Influence of type of school on academic motivation and academic performance among secondary school students in Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of type of school on academic motivation and academic performance among secondary school students attending day schools within Nakuru municipality. The study also investigated how gender, age of the student, and category of school contribute towards academic motivation and academic performance. The objectives specific to this study were to investigate how type of school influenced academic motivation and academic performance. The study adapted the ex-post facto design. The target population comprised all Form two and Form four students in the sixteen secondary schools in Nakuru municipality from which seven day schools were sampled using the stratified random sampling technique. The sample was made up of 489 students. Data was collected using a students’ AMS questionnaire. the academic performance scores were obtained from the school records of the previous year. The major statistical methods used in this study were: Pearson’s r, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Descriptive statistics, means, frequencies, percentages and standard deviations were used for data presentation and to explain the variables in this study. The findings of this study indicated that type of school strongly contributed to the learners’ academic motivation and academic performance. These findings will assist teachers, parents, administrators and other stake holders to engage in interventions in school that can improve the quality of learning and hence boost the student’s academic performance.