A model explaining student militancy in secondary schools: Kenyan perspective

Abstract

Student upheavals and activism is not a recent phenomenon in Kenya, but has been a problem over the years. Indeed the upheavals can be closely linked to adolescence. The nature of student upheavals in secondary schools is multi - faceted as it involves indiscipline that is destructive of the individual student, school property and t he school community where such upheavals take place. The main objective of this study was to construct a theoretical model that establishes a causal relationship between student militancy, social - cultural environment and personal growth. Data was collected from 238 students, 16 secondary school head teachers, educational experts and community stakeholders by use of questionnaires, focus group discussion and interviews. The collected data was quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The findings revealed t hat student militancy is a social phenomenon common in many Kenyan secondary schools, although its nature and magnitude varied across the geographical locations of the sampled schools. In the light of these findings, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education should review the situation existing in Kenyan schools with a view to determining the social problems that make students’ lives more and more meaningless.