Influence of child abuse on lower primary pupils’ academic achievement in Nyandarua West Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Child abuse is a serious social-public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on its victims. It can affect all domains of development including physical, psychological, emotional, behavioural and social domains all of which are interrelated hence it is a complex problem rooted in unhealthy relationships and environments. Strong associations have been made between child maltreatment and learning difficulties and poor academic achievement. Abuse and neglect in early years of life can seriously affect the development capacities of infants, especially in the areas of speech and language. Prospective research studies have consistently shown that maltreated children have lower educational achievement than other groups of children. Cases of child abuse are increasingly high in Nyandarua West Sub-county today and more so the abuse of the minors in lower primary. However, there is lack of population surveys evaluating the actual extent of child abuse, it correlates and its consequences in the County in relation to child academic achievement. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of child abuse on lower primary pupils’ academic achievement in Nyandarua West Sub-county. The specific objectives of the study are; to identify the prevalent forms of child abuse in Nyandarua West sub-county, to assess the influence of child abuse on pupils’ academic achievement in Nyandarua West sub-county and to explore strategies that schools have put in place to reduce child abuse among minors. The study will be guided by the Ecological systems theory by Urie- Bronfenbrenner. The study will use descriptive survey design to describe variables and stratified sampling will be used to determine the sample sizes. Secondary data from books, journals and previous research findings will be used to obtain relevant information. The study will employ questionnaires, structured and unstructured interviews and document analysis to obtain primary data. The researcher will also collect data from the sub-county children’s officer concerning recent cases of abuse and the abusers of the children. A whole year mark sheets on performance of the children will assist in establishing the relationship between child abuse and child academic achievement. Collected data will be edited, classified and tabulated. The processed data will be analyzed by both qualitative and quantitative methods. It is believed that the study will provide information useful in assisting primary school stakeholders with mechanisms of eradicating child abuse and more so parental abuse.