Attitudes of Students Towards Chemistry in Public Secondary Schools in Likuyani Sub-county, Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigated attitudes of students towards chemistry in public secondary schools in Likuyani Sub-county, Kakamega County, Kenya. The research used descriptive survey research design. The target population was all public secondary schools, all school principals, and all form four students in Likuyani Sub county. 12 schools were selected by stratified random sampling. 366 students were selected by simple random sampling. 68 teachers were also randomly selected from each school. Data was collected using questionnaires. The data was sorted, coded and analysed. Descriptive statistics was used to describe and summarise sets of data by using tables, frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. Independent t-test was used to test the hypothesis. The findings revealed that while students generally had a positive attitude towards chemistry, many also found the subject challenging and uninteresting due to its complex concepts.