Factors influencing girls' dropout in free day secondary education programme: A case of Mbooni West district, Makueni county, Kenya.
Abstract
Thisstudy investigated factors that contribute to girls' dropout from public secondary
schoolsin Mbooni West District. The study locale was Mbooni West District which is in
MakueniCounty. Unlike earlier studies examining girls' dropout from school such as
thosecited in this study, the current study aimed at highlighting girls' dropout from public
secondaryschool since the introduction of Free Secondary Education (FSE). The purpose
ofthestudywas to investigate factors that influence girls' dropout from secondary school
inMbooniWest District despite the introduction of Free Secondary Education in all public
schoolsin Kenya. The study had five objectives which sought to: establish the effect
performancein examinations has on girls' drop from public secondary schools, determine
theeffect teenage pregnancies have on girls' dropout from public secondary schools,
establishthe effect indiscipline has on girls' dropout from public secondary schools, asses
theeffectthe home erivironment has on girls' dropout from public secondary schools and
finally,find out the effect of the school environment on girls' dropout from public
secondaryschools. The study is significant in a number of ways. One, the study provided
informationaimed at increasing the number of girls completing secondary school. Two,
thestudyprovides an objective assessment on the factors that affect the completion rates
ofgirlsin secondary schools, thus forming a basis for evaluating the best way of providing
educationto girls and possibly enable the government and communities to facilitate girls'
education.Three, the results of the study may benefit educational institutions involved in
policyformulation pertaining to education in Kenya, including the Kenya Institute of
Education(KIE), teachers and Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). Finally, it
mayhelp curriculum developers to re-examine the secondary school curriculum with the
aimof instituting improvements aimed at making the education environment friendlier to
girls.This may see more girls complete secondary school in Mbooni West District. The
structuralstrains theory was chosen to guide the study. The literature for this study was
reviewedfrom textbooks, journals and internet sources. The target population was the
13,781girls in secondary schools, in Mbooni West District. A sample population of
respondentswho were secondary school principals was selected from the public secondary
schoolsin Mbooni West District. The sample was drawn using both stratified and simple
randomsampling methods. The sample size was nine schools. Tools for data collection
wereinterview and observation methods. To establish the validity the interview guide was
piloted.To ensure reliability, the split-half method was used to test for reliability of the
interviewguide. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics including
percentagesand frequencies. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) computer
programwas used in data analysis. The study has established that the rate at which girls
dropout of secondary school in Mbooni West district is related to performance in internal
examinations, teenage pregnancies, discipline, the home environment and the school
environment.From the findings, conclusions were drawn and recommendations made to
theeffectthat efforts should be made to improve girls' performance in examinations, girls
whofall pregnant while in school should be readmitted, discipline should be improved
amonggirls in secondary school, parents in Mbooni West District to improve on their own
educationlevels and finally, all girls' school to be provided in Mbooni West District for
Educatinggirls in. Suggestions made for further studies are: replication of the study in the
wholecountry, a study to be carried on the quality of learning in mbooni West District as
wellas conducting a study on other objectives including child labour, bereavement and
Orphanhood,health of the school dropouts and health of relatives, disability and special
educationalneeds, age, marriage and notions of adulthood as possible causes of girls'
dropoutfrom school.