Analysis of Correlation between In-service Training and Academic Achievement of Pupils in Public Primary Schools in Kenya

In-service teacher education has been used as a tool for capacity building world over and in Kenya. Despite the perceived importance of continuing in-service training for teachers in updating their professional knowledge, its provision was inadequate in Kenya. It is within this context that this study examined the extent to which the in-service training was being provided and how it predicted the academic achievement of pupils in Kenya with specific reference to Teso North sub-county. This research adopted a descriptive survey research design of ex-post-facto type. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 272 respondents (55 deputy headteachers and 217 teachers). Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. Structured questionnaire and document analysis were instruments of data collection. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviations and inferential statistics of Chi-Square, independent T-Test and linear regression. The hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the extent of the provision of in-service training in the sub-county was low. The hypothesis testing through the Chi-Square indicated that there was a significant relationship between the provision of in-service training and academic achievement of pupils (x2=200.14, p = 0.0000). Linear regression analysis revealed that the influence of in-service training on academic achievement was significant (R = 0.898, p < 0.05). Therefore, the study recommends that the Ministry of Education should formulate in-service training policy for the teachers and the training should be structured and closely aligned with the acquisition of skills and knowledge gaps.