Cognitive Behavioural Intervention: Remedy for School Dropout in an Inclusive Setting in Secondary Schools in Kenya.

Abstract

Abstract: Preventing student dropout seems to be a big challenge for school systems. This becomes even more severe for students who display aggressive behaviour. Aggression in students is manifested in several ways such as being defiant, use of profane language, verbally and physically aggressive. Without intervention, these behaviours become an impediment to academic success and quite often put the student on high-risk category for later social problems, school exclusion school failure or drop out. Student aggression is further compounded in Kenya given that there are no special schools for students with Emotional and Behavioural difficulties. This means that the only option for their placement is in regular schools. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of cognitive behavioural strategies in managing aggressive behaviour displayed by students in secondary schools in Kakamega County. Target population was 351 teachers drawn from Kakamega County. Stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 106 teachers. Data was collected using a questionnaire and behaviour checklist. The result of the study indicates a significant relationship between the cognitive behavioural intervention and student retention in secondary schools. The finding has direct implication to provision and practice of education in secondary schools in Kenya. Efforts should be made to train teachers on the use of cognitive behavioral strategies in order to reduce dropout of students who display aggressive behaviours. Key words: Cognitive behaviour intervention, aggressive Behaviour, student dropout