Academic Achievement of Low- Social-Economic-Status (SES) of Junior High School Students

The purpose of the study was to assess Academic achievement of Low- Social-Economic-Status (SES) of Junior High School Students in Ghana. The study employed a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design. The population for the study comprised all JHS students and teachers in the Aboom Circuit of the Cape Coast Metropolis. Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sampling table, Purposive and randomly sampling techniques were used to select schools, teachers and students for the study. The sample frame for the study was all students and teachers in the five selected JHS of the Aboom Circuit of the Cape Coast Metropolis. The sample size for the study was 350 for students and 30 for teachers. The main instrument for data collection for the study as questionnaire. Research question was analysed using mean and standard deviation; hypothesis was analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The study revealed that continued, consistent and persistent presence of these student-related factors such as hunger, lack of self-motivation, poor study habit, watching TV, laziness, and students’ truancy or absenteeism negatively affect students’ academic achievement. The results of the study also indicated that there was a moderate, negative correlation between student-related factors and students’ academic achievement with high levels of perceived student-related factors with low levels of students’ academic achievement. It is recommended that, the role of guidance and counseling session in schools is to assists students to be focused on their studies. Therefore, guidance and counseling sessions in various schools should be effectively organised to prevent students’ truancy. It is also recommended that School administrators in partnership with PTA leadership and NGOs should educate students on the relevance of education and give social support to students from low socio-economic backgrounds and motivate them in their studies.