Some School Factors of Poor Performance by Students in GCE Advanced Level Economics in Cameroon

This study seeks to investigate some determinants of the poor performance of students in GCE A-level Economics. The study was motivated by reports from the GCE Board revealing poor performance by students in Economics which stood at 40%, 25%, 37%, 42% and 45% between 2001 and 2005 respectively, as compared to other disciplines. The objective of the study was to identify factors which influence students’ performance in GCE A-level Economics. Data was collected from 100 randomly selected Lower and Upper Sixth Economics students and 14 teachers from three selected Secondary High Schools in Kumba. The data was analysed using the Chi-square ( ²) test of independence at 5% alpha level of significance. The results revealed that the poor performance of students at the GCE A-level Economics was due to their Mathematical skills, students’ attitude towards Economics, the dominant use of lecture method, poor guidance-counseling, teacher’s competence and lack of prescribed Economics text books.