Social and Economic Conflicts Influencing Students’ Participation in Secondary School Education in Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

The importance of education in contemporary world order cannot be gainsaid. Education is the first step towards human empowerment and plays vital role in the development of human capital that is imperative in the modern technological and knowledge economy. This study set out to investigate the nature of social and economic conflicts affecting students’ participation in secondary school education in Kakamega County. It used a conceptual model where social and economic conflicts as represented by poverty and drug and substance abuse on one side and effects on students’ participation in secondary school education on the other. The measurable indicators for participation were enrolment, retention, progression and completion of secondary school education. The research design adopted for this study was ex post facto in which cross cultural survey and correlational design were used. The study population was 20274 students in county and sub county schools in the three sampled sub counties of Kakamega North, Mumias East and Kakamega East; 63 principals, 63 guiding and counselling teachers, parents and guardians, religious leaders, chiefs, NG-CDF managers and Sub County Directors of education. Purposive sampling was used to select the three sub counties, stratified random sampling was used to select the schools while purposive, simple random and stratified random sampling were used to identify all other respondents. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews schedules and FGD. Data were analysed using the SPSS programme to identify the nature of social and economic conflicts and determine their prevalence within the study area. Correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables. The multiple regression analysis was used to assess the effect of independent variables on dependent variable. The findings indicated that social and economic conflicts were prevalent in the study area and significantly affected students’ participation in secondary school education in Kakamega County.