Life skills education; investigating its relationship with teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Kenya

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy remains a persistent global crisis that profoundly affects the socio-economic wellbeing of nations, citizens and families. It contributes to school dropout rates, lower academic achievements, early marriages, and decreased school attendance for female learners. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between Life Skills Education and teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Machakos County. This article is an extract of a study done in public secondary schools in Machakos County. The reviewed Literature was based on the research aims whereas the research was anchored on social learning theory postulated by Albert Bandura. The research utilized a descriptive survey research design. The research target population was 360 principals and 360 Heads of Department (HoDs) Guidance and Counseling (G&C),. The study gathered data from a sample of 189 schools comprising Boys only, Girls only and mixed schools. The participants of the study, who were proportionately sampled, included; principals and HODs G&C. Data were collected using questionnaires and document analysis. The Collected data was analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Descriptive analysis was done using frequencies, measures of central tendency and dispersion particularly the mean and standard deviation. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson’s’ correlation coefficient at the .05 level of significance. The study results revealed that teenage pregnancy was prevalent in Machakos County with an average of 173 cases recorded annually. Each school in the county also recorded at least 2 cases of teenage pregnancy yearly. The research findings revealed that there was also a positive and significant relationship between Life Skills Education and teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Machakos County (rp =.575 & rh = 0.414; p≤ .01). The study suggests that KICD should review the Life Skill Education syllabus to include content on sex education. In addition, the MOE should include LSE in teacher education as a learning area or infuse LSE in a specific subject combination so that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) posts teachers to teach LSE specifically and make it compulsory and examinable.