Influence of selected sociological factors on students' participation in public day secondary schools in Tharaka south sub-county, Tharaka nithi county, kenya

Abstract

The government of Kenya, through various bodies, has been involved in developing programs geared towards improving students' participation in public day secondary school. Even with the investments from the government in programs like subsidized payment of school fees, guidance and counselling departments, sports and motivations, maximum students’ participation has not been realized in public day secondary schools. This study sought to determine the influence of selected sociological factors on students' participation in public day secondary schools in Tharaka South sub-county, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. Four objectives guided the study: to determine the influence of parental economic, cultural, parental level of education, and student related factors on students' participation. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The target population for this study was 8,561, comprising 8,018 students, 323 teachers, 24 school principals and 196 parent representatives. A sample size of 368 comprising 320 students, 24 teachers, 8 school principals and 16 parent representatives was selected for this study. Data was collected using interviews with school principals and parent representatives and questionnaires for teachers and students. Piloting was done in Tharaka North sub-county, where two schools were randomly selected. Supervisors from the faculty of education at Chuka university validated research instruments for content and face validity. Cronbach’s Alpha was used to measure the internal consistency of the tools used to collect data, with a reliability of 0.732 being established. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The qualitative data from interviews was analyzed thematically. The Chisquare was used to test the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variables at a 95% confidence level. Results obtained showed that parental economic factors, cultural factors, parental level of education and student related factors influence students’ participation. It was concluded that the selected sociological factors significantly influence students’ participation. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education sensitize the need for parents to be part and parcel of their children’s participation by creating awareness in education. The findings of this study may be significant to curriculum developers, policymakers, material developers, guidance and counselling departments, parents, teachers, students and school administrators in providing insight into the influence of selected sociological factors on students’ participation in public day secondary schools in Tharaka South sub-county, Tharaka Nithi county, Kenya.