Determinants of Academic Performance among Public and Private Middle-Level School Students in Yabelo Town, Ethiopia: Examining the Influence of School, Teacher, and Leadership Factors

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of students' academic performance in public and private middle-level schools in Yabelo Town. This research adopted a cross-sectional quantitative research design to address the research questions. The study's target population consisted of a total of 2,661 individuals, comprising students, teachers, and principals. From this total population, 437 sample participants were selected using stratified sampling. Various survey instruments, including the School Facility Inventory (SFI), Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI), Teaching Practices Inventory (TPI), and Instructional Leadership Inventory (ILI), were utilized, and students' semester average scores, encompassing all 12 subjects, were used to assess academic performance. The results from descriptive (Mean and Standard Deviation) and inferential(Multiple Regerssion and Independent t-test) statistical analyses indicated that in public schools, the availability of learning resources and facilities was the most crucial factor affecting academic performance, followed by teachers' professional practices, instructional methods, and leadership styles. While similar factors were observed in private institutions, they generally showed more favorable conditions. The t-test results revealed significant differences between the two types of schools regarding the factors influencing students' academic performance and variations in students' academic outcomes. Multiple regression analysis illustrated that the identified factors strongly influenced students' academic performance. These results emphasize the need to enhance learning resources, instructional methods, teachers' professional practices, and school leadership to improve academic performance and educational standards.

Keywords: academic performance, public and private schools, school factors, teacher factors, leadership factors