The study examined the relationship between academic burnout and academic achievement among secondary school students in the Kenyan context. Data were collected from 714 form 4 students (equivalent to 12th graders) drawn from 31 public secondary schools. The Maslach Burnout Inventory Student Survey was used. Academic achievement was measured using students’ grades in end of term examinations. The results of the Pearson product moment correlation of coefficient revealed a significant inverse relationship between academic burnout and academic achievement (r (712) = −0.24, p<0.01). Furthermore, regression analysis revealed that academic efficacy significantly predicted academic achievement (β = 0.18, p<0.01). A key implication of the findings is that examination-oriented approach to learning be reduced to ease the pressure exerted on learners for good academic grades.

Students in Kenya have been performing poorly in mathematics in both primary and secondary schools, with the majority of the students scoring below average. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which academic self-concept correlates with mathematics achievement of secondary school students in Nairobi County. The study targeted 9,641 Form 3 students in public secondary schools that had registered students for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations for the past three years. A sample of 500 respondents was drawn using stratified and simple random sampling. A questionnaire that included items from the Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire was used to measure academic self-concept. The average score in mathematics for three consecutive terms was used as the mathematics achievement for each participant. The results from the study showed that academic self-concept positively and significantly predicted mathematics achievement. Based on findings, this article includes recommendations on effective ways that teachers, parents, and other stakeholders can help increase students&rsquo; academic self-concept and boost students&rsquo; mathematics achievement.

The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between causal attributions and academic achievement. Weiner’s Model of Achievement Attribution guided this research. Five-hundred and eighty-five students (315 males, 270 females) participated in the study. The participants completed the Multidimensional Multiattributional Causality Scale (MMCS) while academic achievement was obtained from the participants’ academic records. Majority of the students attributed both success and failure to internal, uncontrollable, and unstable attributions. The results indicated that causal attributions were significantly correlated to academic achievement. Taking into account that students can form maladaptive causal attributions, the study made recommendations to the stakeholders on intervention measures.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between academic emotions and self- efficacy in predicting mathematics achievement of secondary school students. A random sample of 300 form three students (150 males, 150 females) was selected from public secondary schools in Central Division, Machakos County, Kenya. Correlation research design was adopted and data collected using a self report questionnaire. Analysis of examination records was done to obtain data on mathematics achievement. Relationships were determined using Pearson product-moment correlation method while t-test for independent samples was used to determine gender differences between students’ academic emotions, self-efficacy and mathematics achievement. Results revealed a significant relationship between students academic emotions, self-efficacy and mathematics achievement. Significant gender differences were found in students’ academic emotions and self-efficacy. The findings are useful in helping students to develop control over the process of learning mathematics and attach high value to the subject, which lead to development of positive emotions which have a positive correlation to academic achievement.