The main goal with studies of learning achievements is to obtain research based knowledge about the issue and to make appropriate actions. The aim of this study is to explore some factors which may influence grade 7 students’ learning achievements in science and to compare boys and girls learning achievements in relation to different variables in Urozgan province of Afghanistan.
Learning achievements in science and especially in biology is an over studied issue in worldwide research but in the Afghan context much more research is needed to find out what are the factor which may help and promote students learning achievement.
This study is carryout in the southern province of Urozgan and the data is collected from schools administration (students final exam scores of 788 students) and student’s views about biology through a questionnaire (84 students field questionnaire). The main finding of this study was that girls have higher average scores compared to boys in biology subject in this sample. Moreover it was found that girls received less support at home than boys enjoyed. This fining also confirms similar studies in the country as well as in the region. In this study some factors which may influence their achievement were looked up on.
Those students who enjoy the subject of biology have higher scores than students who don’t find it an enjoyable topic. That those girls who see biology as a "difficult" subject scored higher indicate that they have low self-confidence. Those students whose mothers were educated had higher scores than students with not educated mother. Moreover it was observed that children of educated mothers scored higher than children of educated fathers. This finding, although, self-evidence but still indicate the high value of girls education, especially in educationally poorer rural areas such as Urozgan. This study also confirms that the more experience the teachers have the higher the scores of their students. Another worth mentioning point in this study is that teachers view both boys and girls as equally talented in biology.