article · Journal of Mathematics and Science Teacher
This study examines how school location and gender moderate the relationship between school type and students' mathematics achievement in senior high schools within the Ashanti region of Ghana. Using a quantitative descriptive survey design, researchers sampled 398 students from two public and two private schools across rural and urban areas. Data collected through demographic and Likert-scale questionnaires were analysed using structural equation modelling. The analysis reveals that school location and gender, specifically a higher proportion of female students, dampen the positive relationship between school type and mathematics achievement. Consequently, school location and gender exert a negative moderating effect on this relationship. To address these disparities and improve performance in final examinations such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, the study suggests that educational authorities must consider school placement and work to bridge the infrastructure and social amenity gaps between rural and urban schools.
Understanding how demographic and geographic factors influence academic performance is vital for educational equity. This research highlights how school location and gender dynamics can limit the benefits of certain school types on mathematics achievement. It provides educational policymakers with evidence to target infrastructure investments and resource allocation, helping to close the achievement gap between rural and urban students.
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This study aimed to investigate the moderating effect of school location and gender on the relationship between school type and students’ mathematics achievement. The study was restricted to only senior high schools in the Ashanti region of Ghana. A quantitative research approach using a descriptive survey design guided the study. Proportional stratification techniques and simple random sampling using a lottery approach were employed in selecting the sample size and the participants for the study. A sample size of 398 students was used for the study. Two (one in rural areas and one in urban areas) of these schools were private, and the other two (one in rural and one in urban areas) were from the public schools. The questionnaire for the study was in two parts. The first part consisted of the demographic characteristics of the respondents, and the other part was a Likert-scale type of questionnaire on the students’ mathematics achievement which was administered to the selected students. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted on the responses from the participants, and it was revealed that the moderating effect of school location and gender (more females) dampens the positive relationship between school type and students’ mathematics achievement. In conclusion, it was implied that school location and gender have a negative effect on the relationship between school type and students’ mathematics achievement. It was recommended that the government and the Ministry of Education should consider the location when setting up a senior high school and to bridge the social amenities and infrastructure gap that exists between the rural and urban schools to enhance the better mathematics achievement of all students in their final examinations, like the WASSCE.
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DOI: 10.29333/mathsciteacher/18122
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