Teaching Learning Resources and Students’ Academic Performance in Mathematics in Universal Secondary Schools of Jinja District.

ABSTRACT

Education is a fundamental human right, and a key input in production and development of an economy. This explains why countries worldwide plan for and increase budgetary allocations to fund various educational programmes each financial year. There is however concern on the quality of education offered and performance of students in national examinations. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of teaching and learning resources on students’ performance mathematics in secondary schools in Jinja district. Four objectives were formulated to guide the study; the objectives of the study were to determine how availability of teaching and learning materials used in mathematics affect students’ performance, which was done by determining the availability of learning materials utilized in schools, the study also established how adequacy of physical facilities and human resources influence students’ performance and also assessed the extent of resource utilization and its effect on students’ performance in mathematics in Jinja district, following provision of teaching and learning resources by the government to the public secondary schools. The study used descriptive study design, and data was collected using three sets of questionnaires for the head teachers, teachers and students. The target population consisted of all the universal secondary schools in the district, their head teachers, teachers and students. The sample consisted of 6 principals, 18 class teachers and 240 students. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, using Statistical Package for Sciences (SPS), the analyzed data was then presented using frequency tables, means, percentages, pie charts and bar graphs. The study found out that teaching and learning materials were available and are utilized in schools, especially those used in classroom instruction, like chalks, dusters, rulers and charts except physical facilities are lacking and there’s gross inadequacy of human resources. This resulted to overstretched resources with annual increase in enrolment rates thus compromising the quality of education. Therefore the government should allocate more funds for TLR provision to improve the status and condition of physical facilities and employment of more teachers for the USE schools to be effective. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that similar research could be carried out in other parts of Uganda since different parts of the country have different characteristics. Further research could also include a study on Integration of ICT and e learning to complement human resources.