Determinants of School Dropout among Secondary School Girls in Kibra and Langata in Nairobi County, Kenya
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Date
2020
Authors
Oduya, Samwel O.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Education for a girl child is critical since girls are make a significant contribution in families
and the communities as future mothers and parents who are expected to care and nurture
future generations in any community. Education of a girl child has great benefits not only to
herself but also her future family since they are expected to sire and nurture children, who
are the future of any society; nevertheless, education of a girl is under threat due to
challenges within the school, family and the community that retention and hamper
completion of her studies by causing early drop out. In recent past, many girls have dropped
out of schools in Kibra due to challenges in family, school and the community. Over two
million secondary school girls dropout of school annually according to UNESCO education
report. Recent education research findings had shown high rate of secondary school girl
dropout in Kibra and Langata sub counties in Nairobi County in which 9% of girls enrolled
in form one did not study to complete form four despite the government efforts to achieve
International goal of Education for all (EFA) through inception of subsidized secondary
education. The current study sought to explore family, school and community factors that
contributed to secondary school girls dropping out of school before completing secondary
school education and investigated measures that had been put in place to curb secondary
school dropout among girls in Kibra and Langata sub-counties in Nairobi County. The
purpose of this study was to investigate determinants of school dropout among secondary
school girls in Kibra and Langata sub counties in Nairobi, Kenya. Objectives of the study
were to determine family factors that contributed to secondary school girls dropping out in
Kibra and Langata in Nairobi county, investigate school factors that contributed to secondary
school girls dropping out in Kibra and Langata informal settlements in Nairobi County,
establish community factors that contribute to secondary school girl dropping out in Kibra
and Langata in Nairobi County and investigate the measures that could be put in place to
curb secondary school girl dropout in secondary schools in Kibra and Langata in Nairobi
County. Study was guided by Abraham Maslow‟s Hierarchy of Needs theory. The study
adopted descriptive design and data was collected using questionnaires. Data collected was
analyzed quantitatively using Statistical Package for Social for Sciences (SPSS) version 20
and presented in tables, pie charts and bar graphs. Qualitative data was structured in terms of
themes, patterns and summarized in charts, diagrams and illustrations to make it more
manageable. The target population was 40 schools in Kibra and Langata informal
settlements. Stratified, purposive and simple random sampling was used to select the
required sample of the study of 60 students, 45 teachers, and 15 principals. Validity of
research instrument was determined by conducting a pilot study before the actual study. A
pilot study was done in three schools using test-re-test method within a difference span of
two weeks and information was be used to obtain reliability of the instruments through the
use of Pearson‟s co-efficient of correlation and r=0.78 was reliable enough to proceed with
the main study. The findings of the study indicate that girls drop out of school due factors
and problems from within the school, family and the community. The study concludes that
there are factors within the school, family and community that continue to mane girls to drop
out of the school. The study recommends that school need to initiate school level policies
that can be used to involve the parents and communities to support girls to remain in schools
so that they can complete their studies. The schools can also involve teachers to create a
conducive learning environment that is friendly to girls to remain in schools. The study
recommends that the governments can come up with innovative policies that can mobilise
the resources in the communities and families and the school to prevent and reduce the high
drop out of girls.
Description
A Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of
the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master
of Educational Administration in the Department of
Educational Management, Policy & Curriculum Studies,
School of Education, Kenyatta University
Keywords
School Dropout, Secondary School Girls