Students and Teachers Attitudes Responsible for Poor Academic Performance of Junior High School Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of students and teachers attitudes on the academic performance of students in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District, Ghana. A descriptive design was used. The target population for this study consisted of school children and teachers. The study population was made up of students, and teachers of Asikuma Circuit Junior High Schools. Simple random sampling was used to select four public Junior High Schools from the circuit. The researcher also used all the teachers in the selected Junior High Schools for the study. The sample size was 205 students. The questionnaire was deemed most appropriate for the study. The questionnaires were designed respectively for school teachers and students. Percentages and frequencies were used to analyze the background information of the participants and the two research questions. The following key findings were made; teacher attitudes that contributed to the low academic achievement of the students in Asikuma Circuit Junior High Schools include: teacher’s regular absence from school and teacher’s lateness to school. However, students’ attitudes that are responsible for their poor academic achievement in the Asikuma Circuit Junior High Schools are absenteeism, peer group influence, lateness to school and students not enjoying teacher’s lessons. Ghana Education Service in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District should educate students on the adverse effects of absenteeism, truancy and peer group influence on academic performance. The schools should adopt the strategy to reward students who come to school on regular basis and those who come to school early. This reinforcement strategy will motivate students who do not like going to school or who do not go to school early to also learn to be going to school on regular basis and also be punctual.