Determinants of student achievement : a comparative study of the case of a mission, public and private school in Cameroon

Studies of student achievement have been done in many parts of the world with different focal points. This study was carried out in the Anglophone region of Cameroon, specifically in Buea. It was done in three schools from the three main providers (mission, public and private). The class choice was the first class of the high school section which is not only the first class after the public exam but also has students from different schools. The resulting sample is a mixture of students not only from the three chosen schools but also from other schools who moved to take the high school studies in these chosen schools. This study focused on the student specific characteristics, home background and school resources. Questionnaire was the main form of data collection and correlation and regression analysis was used to establish relationships to achievement. The study found that all three groups of factors are important in student’s achievement as is the case in most regions of the world where similar studies have been carried out. This study concluded that student’s specific characteristics in terms of their efforts and motivation was most influential in their performance. Their home backgrounds especially their home assets as well as school resource like the library was instrumental in their performance. This study also highlighted differences in the three main types of schools. The mission and public schools had for most aspects unique differential patterns while the private school had a mixture of the other two schools with some aspects leaning towards the mission school and others towards the public school