ABSTRACT

This study aimed to deterrnine why girls. perform poorly in science subjects. The marz objective of the study ·was to investigate why girls;fotmpoorlyinseiencesul~jects in Kibaale District. The re.~pondents to the research ·were students as 'well as the teachers of the sampled secondary schools in Kibaale District. One of the findings of the present study relates to the method of teaching normally employed in the science classrooms at the secondary level in Uganda. The method was teacher-centred, and student's ·were passive and on the receiving end, ··learning algorithms to apply to solve science problems. It seems that insufficient opportunities are provided to girls to be involved in their own learning, and emphasizes the algorithmic procedures used for .~olvingmathematics problems . . Teachers werefound to be playing a fundamental role in influencing students learning ofsciences. It was alsoj(Jund that teachers were seen to be strict, and that student's appreciated the strictness, claiming that this helped them to have a disciplined class in ·which to learn mathematics. Achievements, concerning success or failure in sciences, it. wasfound that students attributed success primarily to efforts-evidence con-zing fi·om the transcripts of pupils intervie·ws as discussed. These .findings agreed 1vith the findings o.f1t1ooney and Thornton