Much research has been done in the field of academic achievement and many authors have given their suggestions about the factors that influence students within the school environment.  Two of these factors include student attitudes and school context. Against this theoretical background, it is necessary to look at how important these two factors are and exactly how those factors affect student outcomes. The aim of the research is to;

* Establish a relationship between students attitude and academic performance
* Establish a relationship between school context and academic performance
* Determine the most influential factor that affects academic success

Theory

Research has shown that a large number of students’ performances are affected by their attitudes towards specific subjects, education and academics in general. (Bowen & Richman, 2000) It has been suggested that when students demonstrate week commitment to their academics then they are bound to underperform. Additionally, some students with an unrealistic view of themselves may perform poorly too. For instance, those who tend to be overconfident or naïve about the requirements of their academics may register very poor performance. (Broughton, 2003)Conversely, when students do not believe in themselves or when they have low self confidence, then chances are that they will underachieve. (Powers, 2006) Sometimes some students may think of themselves as people who cannot control their own destiny. They imagine that they are victims of the system and this can lead to academic failure. In other scenarios some students may be too proud to ask for help when they encounter a problem in their studies. (Bowen & Richman, 2000) Also, some students find it difficult to grow or develop because they tend to resist change and this impedes their academic progress. In other situations, a student may not work well in groups yet this is a necessary part of the academic environment. Lastly, some students tend to avoid those areas where they perform poorly such as in science or mathematics. These and many more aspects of student’s attitudes can be causes of academic failure.

School context is depicted through certain avenues. These avenues can either lead to excellent performance or poor performance depending on how they are implemented. (Powers, 2006) In certain schools, the system may be too bureaucratic to the point that both teachers and students cannot do their jobs. This eventually leads to poor performance. (Bowen & Richman, 2000) In other situations, teachers lack the skills to impart knowledge and this may cause failures. Likewise, some teachers may be disengaged with their students and this brings about problems in the end. (Broughton, 2003)Additionally, there are certain school environments that are influenced by the external world to such a large extent that the students cannot concentrate on what they are meant to do. Such schools lack discipline. (Broughton, 2003) Some school environments may have certain levels of segregation and this impedes academic success. (Broughton, 2003)