Exploring the Determinants of Academic Achievement of Jamaican High School Students

• In Event: 534 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 04. Educational Achievement and Attainment

Abstract

This study seeks to explore the determinants of academic achievement of Jamaican fourth form high school students. National statistics reveal that the Jamaican education system is failing as students continue to underperform in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. Consequently the majority (71.2%) of the population in 2010 had no formal certification at any level (PIOJ/STATIN, 2012). Despite many measures to improve school resources and enhance teacher training, academic performance at both the primary and secondary level still falls below an acceptable standard. The country continues to trail behind its smaller Caribbean counterparts in its performance in the standardized Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate school-leaving examinations. This sustained poor performance has serious implications for labour productivity, innovation and ultimately economic growth and development of the island. This doctoral study of 717 Jamaican fourth form students from 10 urban high schools still in the data collection stage examines the impact of gender, social class, family structure, school climate, attitudes toward academic achievement, parental involvement, locus of control and other variables on academic achievement. It is hoped that the study’s findings may help to improve the performance of Jamaican children, especially at the secondary level.

Author

• Camille Alexa Daley, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus