Statistical Modelling Of Factors Affecting Students Academic Performance In The Second Cycle Institutions. A Case Syudy Of Nsawam- Adoagyiri Municipality, Ghana.

ABSTRACT Academic performance is vital in education as it helps in the selection and placement of students from one stage to the other on academic ladder. However, academic performance of students in the second cycle institutions has continually declined over the last decade. In 2014, approximately 28 percent of the students who sat for the WASSCE had grade A1 to C6 in all the core subjects. This study identifies statistically significant factors that influence students’ academic performance in the second cycle institutions in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality, Ghana. Data was collected from Seven hundred and forty-four (744) final year students in the two schools located in the municipality. From a well itemized structured questionnaire that was administered by Mixed Methods Sampling, information vital to student’s performance was collected on the 744 students. Factor Analysis with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dimensionality of the data and summarise the critical factors that influence academic performance in the selected second cycle institutions. The factors were scored based on weights assigned to the variables. The factor scores were then used to predict the academic performance of the students. The students’ academic performance was measured using the variable Cumulative Continuous Assessment Marks (CCAM) categorised into two “poor” (CCAM between 0-49%) and “good” (CCAM between 50-100%). A binary logistic regression model was fitted to the data for all the core subjects in both schools. The study revealed that teacher instructional strategies is the main factor influencing academic performance in Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality, Ghana. Based on the mean mark of the two schools in each core subjects, it was established that St. Martin’s Senior High School performed relatively better in all Core Subjects than Nsawam Senior High School. The study recommended that, in order to improve students’ academic performance parents are encouraged to have family size they can adequately cater for, while government among other things is encouraged to provide schools with adequate learning materials.