Browsing by Author "Wachira, Esther Wambui"

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    Relationship between Alternative Care Practices and the Educational Participation of Lower Primary School Pupils, in Embu County,
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-05) Wachira, Esther Wambui
    Alternative care is a childcare arrangement service offered to children mainly in predicaments, whose biological parents are incapable of providing basic needs. With millions of children in alternative care globally, awareness of the impact on education is very crucial. In Kenya, despite the prevalence of alternative care arrangements, such as grandparents, extended family members, or community-based caregivers assuming parental responsibilities, there is lack of comprehensive understanding regarding their impact on educational participation of lower primary pupils. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between alternative care practices and educational participation of 60 pupils in alternative care in Embu West Sub-county, Embu County. The study was guided by the following objectives: to determine the status of educational participation of lower primary school pupils, to establish the relationship between foster care and educational participation, to determine the relationship between kinship care and educational participation, and to find out the relationship between institutional care and educational participation of lower primary pupils in Embu County. The study was anchored on the Bronfenbrenner Ecological System theory. A correlational design was embraced in this study. The population target was 1303 across various schools in Embu West. This study applied purposive sampling to choose a sample size of 132 participants comprising alternative caregivers, pupils, lower primary teachers and headteachers. Reliability of instruments was tested using Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient, where r = 0.7. The study utilized an adapted Kitwood's Qualitative Technique to analyze descriptive data. This entailed various methods but the study adapted the Framework Analysis method. The study found variations in school enrolment and resource allocation among schools, but overall, school attendance was high among lower primary pupils in alternative care. Teachers had a positive perception of school retention among these pupils, emphasizing the importance of adequate instructional materials for enhancing educational outcomes. The absence of pupils in foster care and incomplete data limited a thorough analysis of the relationship between foster care and education participation. The study suggested the need for further research with comprehensive data collection methods to understand this relationship better. There was a significant negative correlation between kinship care and school attendance, indicating a potential inverse relationship (r=-0.691), suggesting a significant inverse relationship between these variables (p=0.001<0.05). Institutional care showed a strong negative correlation with school retention, suggesting a detrimental effect on school retention among lower primary pupils (p=-0.836). However, the influence on school attendance appeared to be less pronounced and statistically insignificant (p=.356>0.05). The study established that, there was a relatively strong and negative effect of kinship care on educational participation among lower primary pupils in Embu West, Embu County. The study therefore, recommended that there is a need for government through the Ministry of Education to prioritize equitable resource allocation among schools and provide ongoing support for school attendance. County governments, in coordination with other non-governmental organizations, should provide adequate support and resources to pupils in kinship care to ensure their educational needs are met.
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    Relationship between Kinship Care Practices and the Education Participation of Lower Primary School Pupils, in Embu County, Kenya
    (Anfo Publications, 2024-08-26) Wachira, Esther Wambui; Githinji, Wanjohi
    Kinship care is a form of child care placement within the family also referred to as family-centred child-care. It is acknowledged globally as the first form of care that should be explored for children outside parental care. Despite the prevalence of of kinship care in the world, it is poorly supported and neglected by policy makers and practitioners. It is perceived that high-quality child care keeps children safe and healthy and helps them succeed in school. This study therefore explored the relationship between kinship care practices and participation in education among lower primary school pupils from grades 1-3 in Embu County Kenya. The study was anchored on the Functionalist theory. A correlational design was embraced in this study. The population target was 1303 from the selected schools. The study applied purposive sampling to choose a sample size of 132 participants. Reliability of instruments was tested using Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient, where r= 0.7. The study utilized an adapted Kitwood's Qualitative Technique to analyze descriptive data. The study found variations in school enrolment and resource allocation among schools, but overall, school attendance was high among lower primary pupils under kinship care. The key findings showed that there was a significant negative correlation between kinship care and school attendance, indicating a potential inverse relationship (r=0.691), suggesting a significant inverse relationship between these variables (p=0.001<0.05). The study established that there was a relatively strong and negative effect of kinship care on education participation among lower primary pupils in Embu West, Embu County, Kenya. The main recommendation was that the government and the county government through the Ministry of Education should prioritize equitable resource allocation among schools and provide on-going support for school attendance to pupils under kinship care to ensure their educational needs are met.