Internal Publication
Investigation of the relationship between science students’ performance in the certificate of secondary education and progression at university of Juba-South Sudan
The correlation between secondary school performance and progression within higher education programs has been a subject of concern to researchers globally. In contrary, existing research on the relationship between Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) and student progression in higher education is limited in the context of South Sudan. While students’ results indicated strong performance in the CSE, the 2021 Report revealed that the cohort that advanced to the fourth year of medical science programs at the University of Juba mostly failed. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the CSE performance in 2013/2014 and students' progression from year 1 to 4 in the School of Medicine at the University of Juba. The study objectives included the following: to determine correlations between students’ performance in the CSE and progression in the school of Medicine at the University of Juba in academic years 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. Also, to determine whether students’ performance in the CSE, and at the university of Juba in 2017, 2018, 2020 had impact on the fourth-year medical students’ grades in 2021. Then, to assess students’ perceptions on factors that affected performance in the school of Medicine at the university of Juba in 2021. The study used a mixed approach and a Concurrent embedded research design within a pragmatic paradigm. The study targeted a population of 1600 students' records and 15 respondents. From this population, a sample size of 310 observations was randomly selected and all the 15 respondents were chosen. Proportionate stratified random sampling was used for quantitative data, while purposive sampling was used for qualitative data. Data collection table was used to gather quantitative data, and open-ended questionnaires for qualitative data. Analysis was conducted using Multiple linear regression and Pearson correlation for quantitative data. Reflexive thematic analysis was used in qualitative data. The quantitative findings were as follows: (a) there is not statistically significant correlations between the CSE average scores in 2013/2014 and the average scores in the school of Medicine at the university of Juba in the following academic years (i) academic year 1 in 2017 [r (55) = .035, p = .802]. (ii) academic year 2 in 2018 [ r (55) = -.324, p = .016]. (iii) academic year 3 in 2020 [r (55) = -.089, p = 0.520]. (iv) academic year 4 in 2021 [ r (55) = -.005, p = .972]. (b) there is no statistically significant impact of the CSE and university years 1, 2 and 3 scores on the fourth-year medical students’ performance at the university of Juba in 2021, [ F (4, 50) = 0.194, P =.94, R2 = .015]. (c) The qualitative findings revealed that factors like insufficient learning and teaching resources, administrative and managerial issues, different academic pathways, lecturer-related factors, and heavy workloads significantly impacted the performance of fourth-year medical students at the University of Juba. The key stakeholders who can benefit from these findings include the University of Juba administration, the School of Medicine, the student body, the Ministries of Higher and General Education, as well as future researchers. The study recommends investing in updated educational materials and creating more supportive learning environments. Additionally, further research on psychological, social, and environmental factors influencing student performance is highly encouraged.
Uploaded by: Japheth NoelAuthor: Manyok, Mabior Gong
Institution: Moi University | Centre: East and South African-German Centre for Educational Research, Methodologies and Management (CERM-ESA)
Thesis Supervisor(s): Kosgei, Zachary
Thesis Supervisor(s): Simayi, Ayanda
Type: Theses | Master’s | English
Subjects: Education
Date: April 2025 | Pages: xvi, 137
Copyright: The Author | License: Open Access
