Determinants of implementation of re-admission policy of girls’ after teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Kitui County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of the implementation of re-admission policy of girls after teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Kitui County, Kenya. The objectives for the study were; to analyze the influence of home based determinants, school based determinants and the influence of principals’ characteristics on implementation of re-admission policy of girls after teenage pregnancy. The study was based on the critical theory by the Frankfurt school in German. The target population for this study was all the girls in both 120 Girls’ Schools and 155 Co-education schools, making a total of 275 schools in Kitui County, Kenya. The researcher used stratification and simple random sampling to get the population sample. In stratification, the researcher selected four sub-counties out of the possible 16 counties. From the four sub-counties a sample of 36 girls’ schools and 47 co-educational schools were selected using simple random sampling making a total of 83 schools. Using stratified and simple random sampling, 83 principals, 83 guidance and counseling teachers, 83 head girls and 16 sub-county directors of education were selected for the study. The county director of education was purposively selected. The head girls were chosen to represent the students’ opinion concerning the re-admission policy. The researcher also used simple random sampling to select 30% of the 16 sub-County directors making a sample of four Sub-County Directors of Education. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. The questionnaires were administered to the principals, Guidance and Counseling teachers and students while the interview schedule was administered to the County and sub-County directors of Education. The researcher analyzed the documents at the County Director of Education about the dropout rate due to teenage pregnancies. Data collected was edited and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively and inferences drawn. Quantitative data derived from the demographic section and the closed items in the research instruments was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential statistics was done using correlation coefficient and chi-square. The Qualitative data generated from the open ended items and interviews was organized into themes and patterns based on the study objectives. After analyzing the data, the findings were summarized, conclusions drawn, and recommendations made. The study established that; there was a statistically significant association between family based factors (χ2(1,4)= 40.000, at significant level, p <0.05), a strong positive relationship r (65)=0.852 at significant level, p<0.05 between school based factors and a statistically significant association (χ2(1,4)=79.920 at significant level p<.05) between principals’ characteristics and implementation of re-admission policy of girls after teenage pregnancy in Kitui County, Kenya. Based on the findings of this study, the researcher recommends that; the ministry of Education should sensitize all principals, teachers, students, parents on the implementation of re-admission policy of girls after teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools.