At the primary Level, pupils only have four subjects; Science, Social studies, Mathematics and English. However, they are immediately bombarded with 10+ subjects as soon as they step a foot in secondary school. If not guided, many students can fail certain subjects and actually think that they just aren’t meant for them.
At the primary Level, pupils only have four subjects; Science, Social studies, Mathematics and English. However, they are immediately bombarded with 10+ subjects as soon as they step a foot in secondary school. If not guided, many students can fail certain subjects and actually think that they just aren’t meant for them.
However, some students can perform better if their teachers know and guide them in the right direction. But first, here are the challenges High school students face.
1. Language
Like it or not, there are so many highly capable students whose only barrier is language. This is because all the subjects are taught in English. Here’s why some students still struggle with English;
- Bad English teachers at primary level
- Lack of enough practice of the language
- Little/ no interest in the English language
- Fear of trying because they don’t want to embarrass themselves in front of other students
Language is a major contributor to learning and interest of students in a subject. Unfortunately, getting to teach all students in their local languages seems like a longshot.
2. Negative attitude
Some students have a negative attitude towards some subjects. This is common in science subjects like Math, Chemistry and Physics. These are some of the things that fuel the negative attitude;
- Fear of the subject
- Bad approach to the subject
- Bias against the subject teachers
- Hearsays from parents, elder siblings or friends
With a negative attitude towards a subject, there’s absolutely no conceivable way that a student can pass. Therefore, the attitude problems have to be solved in time.
3. Laziness
Whether it’s because some students aren’t sure why they’re at school, or because their dreams don’t align with the school system, some students are incredibly lazy. This manifests itself in the following ways;
- They don’t want to think a lot
- Becoming resentful towards reading
- Reading all other subjects except the one they don’t want
Laziness is like a cancer that’s meant to destroy its host by all means. Therefore, any student that gets chronically lazy just can’t pass.
4. Poor reading culture
Many students have the wrong approach to certain subjects. Truth be told, some subjects have to be approached differently, making them even hard until you understand how to approach them. Here are examples of proven approaches;
- Language subjects are best understood in discussions
- You get better with math when you practice more often
- Summarizing is the best way to memorize history
- Exposure to questions and tests is the best way to become familiar with any subject
The list keeps going. Here is where the teacher needs to guide the students and make sure they develop a proper reading culture.
5. Poor teaching methods
Teaching methods play a great role in determining how the students will be able to learn. Below are some of the bad teaching methods that can derail students from learning;
- Explaining too little to nothing about a subject/ topic
- Dry humor/ boring the students
- Insulting/ making fun of students who take long to understand
- Going too fast without consideration of slow learners
Usually, it’s because of personal reasons like stress, personal beliefs and lack of self-control that teachers flip and resort to bad teaching tendencies.
6. Students are not given enough time
Students need to be given enough time to understand and get the gist of every subject in the order of difficulty. Here’s the amount of time they need.
- Time with the teacher (during the lesson)
- Revision time
- Consultation time
The school, of course, can’t set the time for every student to make consultations but they can make sure that the timetables of students and teachers aligns to allow enough time for both parties.
7. Indiscipline of students
Indiscipline is a major detractor as far as learning is concerned. Students who are not disciplined will have their academic performance hindered by things like;
- Escapism
- Drug abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Deliberate disobedience
- Physically or verbally assaulting teachers
On normal occasions, badly behaved students attract punishments that include suspensions, expulsions and others. This can cost them a couple of valuable lessons, leading to deteriorating performance in subjects they aren’t good at.
8. Dodging of classes
Whether it’s due to peer pressure or because they have the perfect excuse, dodging of classes is a grave temptation. When a student succeeds on the first attempt, they’re likely to always dodge whenever attending a lesson feels inconvenient.
Here are some of the effects of dodging classes
- Students miss out on many key lessons
- It leads to punishments like suspension or expulsion from school
- It’s hard to catch up on what was taught in the missed lesson
- Copying notes of the missed lesson takes a toll on the student
9. Limited syllabus coverage
Some teachers cover the syllabus at a very slow pace, and this is usually because of the school’s system, teacher’s time management and the notes they use. These are the effects of limited coverage;
- Students go with no knowledge on certain topics, meaning they have a limited scope
- Gives them no time to familiarize with a topic, interact with questions and make enough consultation
- Leads to rash coverage of topics at the last moment
In schools where the students have completed all their syllabuses as soon as possible and been given an entire term to familiarize with questions, the performance is usually better.
10. Shortage of teaching materials
Many schools in rural areas are usually faced with shortage of teaching materials, and this hinders the domain of exploration of certain subjects. The essential materials include;
- Science lab apparatus
- Computers in the computer lab
- Reference books to guide teachers on how to navigate the syllabus
- UNEB Question banks
Some subjects, especially in Arts, don’t usually face this problem, thereby causing uneven performances in the affected subjects.
11. Inadequate guidance and counseling
Every student at every level needs to be guided. This is because according to the education system, some things won’t make obvious sense to them. This is why they need to be guided on the following things;
- Their behavior
- The way they approach certain subjects
- How to manage their time for effective results
- Resisting the temptation of bad peer groups and drugs
If students aren’t guided at all on any of these things, they are left to figure things out on their own, and negative effects spread even in academics.
12. Government policy
The government and its policies affect so many scholarly activities and the performance of students in certain subjects. This is because certain policies are unfavorable, and they discourage teachers from teaching effectively. They include;
- Unfavorable salary policies
- Favoritism of certain subject teachers over others
- University cut-off points depending on gender
Usually, most government policies are effective in government-aided schools, because the teachers there are on government pay-roll. The policies then influence their behavior, which also affects the student performance.
13. Delayed feedback
Some teachers delay to give appropriate feedback to their students. This is common after they’ve done a test or exam.
When feedback comes late, the students usually aren’t excited as they were immediately after doing the test. This means they’re likely not to take a look and possibly correct their errors.
14. Some students lack confidence
Confidence is a key player in every student’s academic journey. Therefore, lack of confidence comes along with dire effects like;
- Losing interest in the subject
- Fearing certain topics, thereby avoiding them
- Missing classes because students believe they can’t understand what’s being taught
- Resentment towards the teachers
Therefore, lack of confidence in certain subjects can lead to their failure.
Conclusion;
Students can’t have the same attitude towards all subjects, and their attitude can affect their performance in all subjects, simple or hard. Therefore, it’s important for teachers and parents to find out and possibly correct their students’ attitude towards all subjects.
Comments are closed.