School-Based and Socio-Cultural Factors Contributing to Gender Disparity in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination Performance in Murang’a
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Date
2020
Authors
Mwangi, Pauline Muthoni
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Gender parity in education is much treasured by many countries around the world,
thus its realization is high on the agenda of many governments, Kenya included.
Despite the Kenya government’s immense effort to eliminate gender disparity in
education, girls in Murang’a South sub-county continue to perform poorer than
boys. This study investigated the factors contributing to gender disparity in
performance of KCSE examination in public mixed day secondary schools in
Murang’a South sub-county. The purpose of the study was to investigate and
establish factors that contribute to gender disparity in performance of KCSE
examination in public mixed day secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county.
Specifically, the objectives of the study were to establish the school-based factors
that contribute to gender disparity in KCSE performance in public mixed day
secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county, to establish the home-based
factors that contribute to gender disparity in KCSE performance in public mixed day
secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county, to determine the socio-cultural
factors that contribute to gender disparity in KCSE performance in public mixed day
secondary schools in Murang’a South sub-county, as well as to establish the
interventions schools put in place to address the gender disparity. The study adopted
a descriptive survey design and was conducted in Murang’a South sub-county. The
target population was the 32 principals of public mixed day secondary schools in the
sub-county, the 543 teachers and the 4,200 students. Purposive sampling was done
to select the principals as well as the form 3 and 4 classes. Systematic sampling was
done to select the boys and girls, according to their admission numbers. Teachers
were selected through simple random sampling. The sample size for the Principals
was 30 out of 32, the teachers 342 out of 543, and the students 1366 out of 4200.
The study used one questionnaire for the principals, another one for teachers and
another for students. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the collected data
using means, modes and percentages. The SPSS computer program was used to do
this analysis. Findings of the study revealed that school based factors like boy-girl
relationships and lack of motivation to study contribute to gender disparity in KCSE
examination performance and so do home-based factors like domestic
responsibilities and lack of parental support, among others. Findings also indicated
that socio-cultural factors such as society’s perception about boys’ and girls’
education and lack of role models, among others, contribute to gender disparity in
KCSE performance. The study revealed that there were no interventions put in place
to address disparity in boys’ and girls’ KCSE performance. Based on the findings of
the study, it was concluded that school based and socio-cultural factors contributed
to gender disparity in KCSE performance. The study recommended that among
others, teachers should design intervention programs tailored to uplift girls’
academic performance such as a reward system for girls who met their set targets. It
was also recommended that school administrations should organize counseling
sessions for parents/guardians to inculcate attitudes about education that are
favorable for both boys and girls. The study suggested that a study is done on the
effectiveness of guidance and counseling department in addressing challenges
related to girls’ education and performance in the studied locale.
Description
A Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for
the Award of Degree of Masters of Education in the
School of Education, Kenyatta University
Keywords
Gender Disparity, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination, Murang’a County, Kenya, Public mixed day secondary schools