Family-based determinants influencing students’ academic participation in public day secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract

Over the years, the government of Kenya has implemented various programs and policies in a bid to enhance students’ academic participation in secondary education across the nation. While several gains had been realized as a result of these initiatives in terms of access, retention and completion among secondary school students, in Makueni County, a considerable number of students were not able to participate fully in their studies as expected. Research had shown that enhanced students’ academic participation in schools depended on the commitment of both the government and households/guardians. Hence, family-based determinants were likely to influence students’ academic participation in public day secondary schools. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to establish the influence of family-based factors on students’ academic participation in public day secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. This study particularly sought to determine the influence of parents’ ability to pay user charges, parental involvement in students’ learning activities, home-school distance, parental level of education and home environment on students’ participation in public day secondary schools in Makueni County. This study was guided by the human capital theory. The study employed concurrent research design of mixed methods approach. The study targeted all the 250 public day secondary schools in Makueni County. The units of observation were 250 principals, 380 Form 4 class teachers, 250 PA chair persons and 108 area chiefs. The sampling techniques were stratification and random sampling. The sample size included 50 principals, 76 class teachers and 50 PA chairpersons from the 50 schools sampled and 21 chiefs, making a total of 197 research participants. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and document analyses. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 and presented using frequency tables and graphs while qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented using narratives and appropriate verbatim quotes. Descriptive statistics used were mainly mean and standard deviation while inferential statistics used were both correlation and regression analyses. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to determine the correlation between the independent and dependent variables. Bivariate regression analysis was used to show the individualized influence of each independent variable on the dependent variable while the joint influence for all the independent variables was demonstrated using multiple regression analysis. Bivariate regression estimates were used in hypothesis testing where inferences were made at the 0.05 level of significance. The study established that parents’ ability to pay user charges, parental involvement in students’ learning activities, parental level of education and home environment positively and significantly influenced students’ academic participation in public day secondary schools in Makueni County. On the other hand, home-school distance had a negative significant influence on students’ academic participation in these schools. Based on these findings, the formulated null hypotheses that family-based factors did not have a statistically significant influence on students’ participation in public day secondary schools in Makueni County were rejected. Thus, the study concluded that parents’ ability to pay user charges, parental involvement in students’ learning activities, home-school distance, parental level of education and home environment were significant family-based determinants influencing students’ academic participation in public day secondary schools in Makueni County. One of the recommendations from this study was that government should increase the amount of FDSE allocations channeled to schools to cover user charges imposed, boost scholarships and bursary schemes and also implement feeding programmes for the day scholars. The study also called for construction of more public day secondary schools in strategic areas near communities, expansion of boarding facilities and increase sensitization campaigns on the importance of education targeting parents/guardians. The study also recommended that school administrators should organize more frequent academic clinics and PTA meetings, allow school fees to be paid in installments and in -kind where possible and also establish active guidance and counseling departments among other recommendations.