Perception of Gifted Students on Compulsory Subjects in Their Academic Performance a Case of Secondary Schools in Uasin Gishu County in Kenya.
Academic performance is a function of many interrelated variables including inherent study efforts, modes of teaching, school environment and students ability. Many gifted students may face myriads of academic problems, which may however, be masked by their academic prowess, yet research into this realm is limited in Kenya. The objectives of the study were: To investigate the perception of gifted students on the effects of compulsory subjects on academic performance. To establish the perception of gifted students of teacher - centred teaching methods on academic performance. To examine the perception of the gifted students of the effects of mentorship and counselling services on academic performance. To establish the perception of teachers on gifted students identification criteria on academic performance. An exploratory survey design was used. The research population consisted of 100 heads of academic departments and 153 gifted students. The sample then was 30 teachers and 120 gifted students from the sampled schools in Uasin Gishu District. Two sets of structured questionnaires were used to collect data. The sample was selected using random sampling technique and purposive sampling technique. Descriptive statistics was used in data analysis that is of frequencies and percentages. The findings were presented using tables, pie charts and figures. From the findings it was established that the gifted students perceived that the compulsory subjects were highly influential in affecting academic performance. That most of these students 48 %( 50) rated the teacher-centred teaching methods as poor and these teaching methods were found to affect the academic performances negatively. Absence of mentorship and guidance and counselling services affected a majority 55% (58) of the gifted students negatively academically. Identifying the gifted learners in secondary schools of Uasin Gishu was non standard. No intelligence tests were used to identify gifted learners instead evaluation test results was majorly used by 60% of the teachers to identify these learners. The study recommended that the MoE should make IQ tests available in schools. Teachers should be equipped with skills and knowledge of how to handle gifted learners in schools. Further studies should be carried out to establish how primary schools cater for this gifted learners 1.1 Background of the Study Globally, education is fundamental in the development of human persons and has, therefore, been viewed principally in light of a fundamental human right (Kyalo, Osano, Maundu and Kipkemboi, 2006) and continues to play a significant role in imparting knowledge to many people, which portends a good future. Therefore, challenges facing learning among the students remain a major and a fundamental issue among policy makers. On attainment of political independence in 1963, the Government of Kenya (GK), households and the private sector collectively endeavoured to enhance the development of education in the country. The rapid development of education and training in Kenya was a result of the Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 on African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya, which emphasized combating ignorance, disease and poverty. It was based on two long-standing concerns that: (1) every Kenyan child, irrespective of sex, religion and ethnicity, has the inalienable right to access basic welfare provision, including education; and (2) the GK had an obligation to provide opportunity to all citizens to fully participate in socio-economic and political development of the country and also to empower them to improve their welfare. The education in Kenya is based on the model of performance based on evaluation of end of course examinations (Kamugisha, Tanui , Koros, Ondieki & Simiyu, 2005). The future progress of the students in academic echelons is, therefore, tied to the academic performance by the students. The issue behind this principle is that a student is academically able to go successfully through the examinations or they cannot manage them and thus will not progress beyond certain threshold education points. Furthermore, many potential employers prioritize formal education system as a way of employment in their firms. Academic performance is a facet of many interrelated variables key among them is the inherent students’ efforts, teachers’ inputs, school environment and students attitudes. Many schools that are performing well in Kenya often attribute their “excellent students’ performance” on students working hard and discipline in the school (Griffin, 2008). Successes for a number of the schools come through heavy investment in the learning materials such as books and laboratory facilities; employment of extra tuition to the students during holidays. Emphasizing the utilization of more time and resources to encourage improved academic performance looks farfetched in line with Boit (2001, p .15) assertion that “there exist a linkage between students’ attitudes and