School Administrative Practices and Student Academic Performance in Mathematics in Technical Secondary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of Ngororero District

Abstract

The research investigated school administrative practices and student academic performance in mathematics in technical secondary schools in Rwanda. Specifically, the research evaluates the school administrative practices that affect the students’ academic performance in mathematics in technical secondary schools in Rwanda, determines the level of student academic performance in mathematics in technical secondary schools in Rwanda, and analyses the relationship between school administrative practices and the students’ academic performance in mathematics in technical secondary schools in Rwanda. The targeted population was 7,549, for a sample of 481 respondents. This study used primary sources namely questionnaires and interviews to gather data. It employed purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling methods. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used for analysis from IBM SPSS Version 21.0. For the first objective, results indicates that 83.3% of Teachers agree and 10.2 % agreed  that Resource allocation and management show the school administration practices, and 73.1 %  strongly agreed and 11.5 % agreed  that Lead teaching and learning , 71.8% strongly agreed and 20.5 % agreed  that The Link the school with other organisations show the school administration practices, 61.5 % strongly agreed  and 21.8 % agreed that Driven data decision-making indicates the school administration practices and 62.22% strongly agreed and 21.8 agreed that Resource allocation and management indicates the school administration practices. For the second objective, 88.5% strongly agreed and 11.5% agreed that An increased score in the test and exam indicates the student's academic performance in mathematics,76.9% Strongly agreed and 11.5 agreed that Apply mathematical knowledge to solve complex problems and improve student academic performance in mathematics, 66.9% Strongly agreed and 23.1% agreed that Increased student participation in math class increases student academic performance in mathematics and  65.4% Strongly agreed and 23.1% agreed that Attendance and homework completion affect student academic performance in mathematics. Results on the relationship between school administrative practices and the students’ academic performance in mathematics in technical secondary schools in Rwanda. The study revealed a strong positive correlation between engaging stakeholders, leading teaching and learning, and linking the school with other organizations. Resource allocation and management and setting direction, with an increased score in the test and exam, apply mathematical knowledge to solve complex problems, increased student participation in math class, attendance, and homework completion rates, and that they were positively and statistically correlated since most of their levels of significance were greater than 0.05 in association. It is recommended that teachers' quality, classroom environment, and parental involvement positively impact academic performance. Smaller classroom sizes and higher teacher-student interaction are associated with higher achievement. Resources like textbooks, technology, and laboratory equipment also contribute to better academic performance, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.