A Comparative Academic Performance Analysis of Male and Female Students in Secretarial Studies at Tanzania Public Service College, Dar es Salaam Campus

Abstract

This study compares academic performance between male and female students pursuing secretarial studies skills at Tanzania Public Service College Dar es Salaam Campus, by analyzing their performances in six core subjects namely: Typewriting Skills, Shorthand Theory, Hatimkato Nadharia, Computer Application Skills, Secretarial Duties, and Professional Ethics, as well as Communication and Interpersonal skills. The study’s main objective is to determine if there are significant variations in academic performance between male and female students. The study employed descriptive and inferential statistics methods specifically Welch’s t-Test to analyze the course work and end-of-semester examination scores in 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years. The assessment scores of 328 students were used as study sample datasets. The study results revealed the absence of significant differences in most core subjects except Computer Application Skills, where males seem to outperform females. To remove the performance gap and promote equitable skills development between the two genders in Computer Applications Skills, immediate interventions such as extra training and incorporating more collaborative projects that foster participation from both genders should be considered.