IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 25, Issue 5, Series 9 (May. 2020) 35-52 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0837-2505093552 www.iosrjournals.org 35 |Page Teachers’ Perceptions of the Role of Examination on Students’ Academic Achievement in Public Secondary Schools, Kakamega County, Kenya Hellen U. Lumadede 1 , Professor John O. Shiundu 2 &Professor Moses W. Poipoi 3 1, 2,3 Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya Abstract: Examination is an integral part of the education system, which has certain objectives to be realized. Examinations are useful as theymeasure a student‟s progress towards predetermined objectives. Scholars indicate that in Kenya, there are a lot of issues related to examinations. However, examinations have been embraced as an evaluation tool for a long time. These issues include examination irregularities, unfair competition and burning of school property besides other issues.In Kakamega, County academic performance has been below average, the mean score has stagnated, hardly arising beyond C- (below average) for over ten years. The county has also experienced examination malpractices in national examination (K.C.S.E). The purpose of this study therefore was to establish the teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of the role of examinations on students‟ academic achievements in public secondary schools. Specific objectives were to;examine teachers‟ perceptions of the role of examination on students‟ academic achievement and to determine the relationship between the frequency of examination and students‟ academic achievement. The study was guided by expectancy motivation theory by Victor Vroom (1964). The study adopted descriptive survey design. The main instruments for data collection were questionnaire, document analysis guide, and focused group discussion guide as well as interview schedule guide. Random, purposive and stratified sampling techniques were used to sample schools as units of study and respondents. Validity of instruments was ascertained through consultations with my supervisors and experts in the department of Educational Psychology. Reliability were ascertained through pilot study in selected neighboring schools and split half test. Descriptive statistics included frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Inferential statistics included the use of ANOVA, Pearson-Product Moment correlation-coefficient (r) linear regression Multivariate and collinearity. Data analysis was aided by SPSS software version 21 and Microsoft excel. The study established that; there is a significant relationship between teachers perception of the role of examination on students‟ academic achievement,(t-statistics=11.547, p-value =000<0.05) and variation of academic achievement was explained by frequency of examination; (t-test =15.773.p-value=0.045<0.05 ) therefore the null hypothesis was rejected . The study concluded thatexaminations have a direct influence on students‟ academic achievement. Therefore better approaches should be taken into consideration that will enhance the purpose of examination in Education. It is hoped that the study may be useful to the Ministry of Education, Kenya National Examination Council, policy makers, school management, teachers, parents, psychologists and students to come up with better approaches of handling examinations to enhance academic achievement among students. It will also serve as documentary evidence and a source of reference for future researchers wishing to conduct studies in a similar area. Key words: Academic Achievement, Examinations, Perception, Public Secondary Schools --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 13-05-2020 Date of Acceptance: 26-05-2020 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION Conceptualization of Examinations Examination is an integral part of the education system, which has certain objectives to be realized. It is along and continuous process that involves both the teacher (educator) and the student (learner) Yuliana, F and Iwan. S ,2018. Examinations are useful as they measure a student‟s progress towards predetermined objectives (Malik, 2007). Examination is a process geared toward testing the abilities or achievement of the student in any area of academic program. However, there are also some factors, which create obstacles to measure the real performance of the student(Harvey, 2003; Oyieko ,2017). Every educational system consists of an examination system through which the qualities and abilities of the students are assessed by giving them grades and positions (Ahmed, 1993 as cited by Malik, 2007). Mathews (1985) indicates that the ultimate objective of the