A Comparative Study of Students’ Performance for the Three Year and the Four Year Programmes in Mfantsipim and University of Cape Coast, Practice Senior High Schools in Cape Coast, Ghana

The study set to find out whether student performance in the Senior High was influenced by the length of years spent in the Senior High School. It compared the three year senior high school to that of the four year. The study was done in two school senior high schools in the Cape Coast metropolis. The study covered West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results from 2006 to 2013 but 2008 and 2009 were excluded because the policy initiative that brought the senior high system took effect from 2007/2008 academic year. 2006, 2007 and 2013 covered the period of the three programme while 2011 to 2013 for the four year programme. The main study area was Mfanstsipim and University Practice Senior High Schools.  A total of 4743 results consisting of six different years of WASSCE examination were analyzed and interpreted. Interviews were conducted with the teachers of the schools and later transcribed and typed. The four main core subjects namely Mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science and Social Studies were the main focus of the study. Some of the findings of this study were that, comparing the percentage passes in both programmes there was no significant change in the results obtained by students, extra-curriculum activities and late admission took much of the contact hours. It was recommended that arrangement can be made so that first year students will come to school on time and also to write their final exams in the long vacation period instead of using third term of the third or fourth year.