https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/89 2026-10-01T23:54:36Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1642 Determinants of Female Participation in Primary Education: A Study of Kwale and Taita Taveta Districts, Kenya Juma, Magdaline N. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that determine female participation in primary education in Kwale and Taita-Taveta District of the Coast Province of Kenya. The study was based on a conceptual framework which centres on a gender structuring theory in which it is argued that culturally determined ways of defining women and men and their roles in a given society shape gender specific opportunities and constraints. It influences the manner in which the society orders its relations of production and the distribution of resources including education that result in gender differences. Seven research tasks guided the study. They included:(i) participation rate of girls in primary education in the two districts, (ii) participation rate as related to socio-economic factors, (iii) the influence of the educational level of family members, (iv) socio-cultural attitudes towards education, (v) the effect of household labour activities, (vi) school based factors and the perceptions on the importance of girl's primary education. The sample population of the study consisted of 120 household heads, 20 headteachers, 10 Islamic religious leaders, 2035 pupils from standard six, seven and eight of whom 1037 were girls. Data was collected through documentary review, in-depth interviews with household heads, headteachers and Islamic religious leaders, while primary school pupils completed a questionnaire. Participatory observation was also carried out in a small number of schools and households selected from within the main sample. Research findings established that there exist serious disparities which date back to the colonial period. Taita-Taveta which was fully integrated into the colonial economy and is relatively among the rich districts in the country has more educational resources than Kwale and girls’ participation rates in primary education are higher. Boys and girls ratios in this district are equal. Government intervention in through the abolition of the so called school fees benefited girls only marginally with a small rise in enrollment, but did not significantly alter the boy-girl ratio in Kwale. Girls' participation is not only affected by low enrolments, but also by promotion or progression rates. It was established that with the expansion of primary education after independence, dropout rates rose from about 20 to 40 per cent for Kwale, while in Taita-Taveta the range was from 11 to 20 per cent. Although dropout rates appeared high for both boys and girls in Kwale it affected the latter more seriously than the former. Dropout rates for girls are not only high throughout the classes, but become more pronounced in the upper classes. Taita-Taveta does not only register low dropout rates but also retains more girls in the primary school system through repetition. Research findings also established that in terms of socio-economic factors, a large proportion of the community is involved in productive a economic activity that enables them to meet the high cost of their children’s education as compared to Kwale. Closely related to the parental socio-economic background is the educational level of the family members. It is an important factor influencing the participation of girls in primary education, for parents who themselves are educated; impart a positive view of schooling among their children. Taita-Taveta has a high percentage of parents who attained basic education than Kwale. The study also concludes that although a vast majority of parents in both Kwale and Taita-Taveta, have positive attitudes of educating both boys and girls, they are generally less inclined to educate girls than boys and harbour some traditional values that discourage the former's active participation in primary education. Religion that constitutes part of the socio-cultural factors was found to have a strong impact on girl's education. In Kwale where the population is predominantly Muslim, religious leaders who hold a strong sway are not only opposed to schooling in general, but to girls’ education in particular. Western education is believed to have a disruptive effect on Islamic institutions. The socio-cultural attitudes that tend to discourage girl's schooling encourage them to participate more in domestic and farm work, thereby reducing their participation in education. With respect to school factors, although on the overall headteachers did not think that the school environment is discriminative against girls, it was established that the primary school teaching force is male dominated in the two districts and holds very negative views about girls schooling which adversely influence their participation. Finally the study concludes that the communities in both Kwale and Taita-Taveta hold positive views about the importance of providing basic education to girls. The provision of literacy, numeracy and cognitive skills in primary education enhances women's ability to perform the multitude functions that contribute to the social and economic development. A number of factors identified in the study are readily subject to alteration through policy intervention. It is therefore recommended that the literacy campaign that the government has been waging should be stepped up as well as public awareness strategy to change gender stereotypes about female education. A PHD Thesis submitted to Kenyatta University School of Education 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1546 Involvement of Girls in Leadership in Primary Schools in Voi Sub-county, Kenya Kisirkoi, Florence Kanorio; Kamanga, Angela Ndunge Women in Kenya are underrepresented in decision-making positions, which appears as a remnant of persisting cultural gender roles that limit women from participating in activities critical for personal, societal, and national development. Such retrogressive ideas regarding a large number of the country’s citizens have to be addressed early in the life of a girl to build in girls’ self-esteem and facilitate them to develop leadership skills. This study investigated the extent to which girls in primary schools in Voi sub-county are involved in leadership in their schools. The study was based on the 2010 Kenya’s constitution which ruled that no more than two-thirds of elected or appointed public institutions leaders should consist of one gender. The new legal framework seeks to break down the barriers women face in realizing their political, civil, economic, and social rights. It also ensures that women are involved in decision-making at all levels of government. In this study, data was collected from three mixed primary schools in Voi sub-county given codes A, B, and C. School A had a total of 470 pupils; 225 were boys and 245 were girls and the school had 21 leadership positions. The findings showed that the majority 14 (66.7%) of the leadership positions were occupied by boys while the few 7 (33.3%) were occupied by girls. In school B, there were a total of 1,056 pupils; 498 were boys and 558 were girls. There were 13 leadership positions. The majority of the positions 7 (53.8 %) were occupied by boys and minority 6 (46.2%) were occupied by girls. In school C, there were a total of 1,450 pupils and 680 were boys and 770 girls. There were 13 leadership positions. The majority 7 (53.8%) of the positions were occupied by boys while 6 (46.2%) were occupied by girls. In all the schools, there were more girls than boys but boys occupied more leadership positions than girls. Boys also took senior positions and girls were their deputies and were not as active as boys in areas such as class discussions and debate. It was recommended that conscious effort should be made to develop leadership skills in girls during their formative years. An article published in Sino-US English Teaching 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1544 Factors Contributing to Low Completion Rates of Girls in Primary Schools in Mogotio Sub County, Baringo County, Kenya Ayub, Margaret J. Education plays a key role in human development through acquisition of knowledge and skills that are necessary for active participation in the development of a nation. It is propagated through the school system as a social unit. Despite its importance, completion rates of primary school education in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) of Kenya is generally still low. This study sought to establish factors that contribute to low completion rates of girls in primary schools in Mogotio Sub County. The study adopted the descriptive research design. Six schools were purposively selected out of the twenty four primary schools in the Sub County. A sample 6 head teachers, 52 class teachers, 45 girl pupils and 12 household heads who took part in the study were selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Questionnaires were used to solicit information from head teachers and class teachers‟ while interview guide was used to collect data from girl pupils and household heads. The data collection tools were validated and pilot tested for reliability. The head teachers‟ and class teachers‟ questionnaires yielded reliability coefficients of 0.7571 and 0.7193 respectively. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and the results of the analysis presented in the form of frequencies, percentages means standard deviations and charts. The results of the study indicated that boys have higher chances of completing primary school than girls. It was also found that girls primary school completion rates were influenced by economic, social-cultural and school environment factors. It is hoped that the knowledge gained from the findings of the study will enable teachers, parents, the government and other stakeholders‟ device interventions that will lead to higher school completion rates for girls in primary. An article published in International Journal of Advanced Research and Review 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://kerd.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1525 Mothers’ Education and Girls’ Achievement in Kibera: The Link with Self-Efficacy Abuya, Benta A.; Joyce, Mumah; Austrian, Karen; Mutisya, Maurice; Kabiru, Caroline Research evidence has established the importance of mothers’ education and their children’s educational achievement. However, little has been done to establish the association between mothers’ education with girls’ literacy and numeracy scores, while linking it with self-efficacy. Using baseline data collected in Kibera informal settlement in 2015 as part of the Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya (AGI-K), this article tests the mother–child education achievement hypothesis while taking into account girls’ self-efficacy. Results show a significant association between parental education and numeracy and cognitive scores at the bivariate level. In addition, interaction effects of mother’s and father’s education showed that girls whose mothers had at least some secondary education significantly performed better in numeracy, while the performance increased even more with increased father’s level of education. Findings also show that on average, girls’ numeracy and cognitive scores significantly increased by half of a standard deviation for a unit increment in self-efficacy. One policy implication is that investments into the secondary education of mothers in support of their daughter’s education need to strengthen individual attributes of girls in self-efficacy. An article published in Sage Open 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z