Student Academic Engagement and the Academic Achievement of Form One Students in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya

Abstract

The final major examinations in Kenya (KCPE & KCSE) have continued to heighten anxiety among students as they are regarded by most Kenyans (both parents and students)as the bridge to a promising future. Students can go to any length to ensure that they score a quality grade .Many factors have been attributed to academic under achievement, one of them being their academic engagement. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between student academic engagement and academic achievement among form ones students in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya. The study was anchored on the Social Cognitive Learning by Albert Bandura. The study adopted a correlational design in order to be able to investigate and analyze the relationship between the two variables. It also used simple regression to find out whether the various variables would predict test scores. The study was conducted in four public schools of Dadaab refugee camps in the North-Eastern part of Kenya. The target population consisted of students and teachers. The sampling technique was that of convenient, purposive and systematic sampling in that order, where thirty-five participants were selected from each school, to sum up to one hundred and thirty-eight form one students and a total of thirty-four teachers. Research instruments included questionnaires for teachers and students, while interview schedule was for teachers. The results revealed that student academic engagement positively and significantly predicted test scores.