| dc.description.abstract | Girls’ education should be allowed so as to grasp key concepts that enables them communicate better, perform basic arithmetic and improve their reasoning abilities. However, there have been rampant cases of high number of drop-out rates among girls in secondary schools in Kenya. The general objective was to investigate the factors that influence girl child education in secondary schools of Ilchamus-Mukutani Sub-County, Baringo County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to examine the influence of socioeconomic factors, cultural factors, learning facilities, and goal settings on girl-child education in secondary schools of Ilchamus-Mukutani Sub-County, Baringo County, Kenya. The study was informed by three theories which are Maslow's hierarchy of needs, gender relations theory and cognitive theory. The study used the descriptive research design to gain comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence girl child education. The unit of analysis comprised of 6 girls and mixed secondary schools located in Ilchamus-Mukutani Sub-County, Baringo County, Kenya. The respondents of the study were 1,652 female students, 6 principals and 46 teachers. The principals were sampled through purposive method to have 6 principals representing each secondary school. Furthermore, the teachers and female students were sampled through simple random method as a way of ensuring that all get an equal chance of being involved in the study. This was especially after the sample size had been determined through the Nassiuma (2000) formular to have 38 teachers and 198 female students. The female students were issued with a questionnaire that was different from the questionnaire issued to their teachers. Additionally, the principals were interviewed through an interview guide. A pilot test was conducted in Pemwai Girls High School in Baringo Central Sub-County. Reliability was examined through Cronbach alpha coefficient. Furthermore, the study conducted three types of validities which are content, criterion and construct validity. Descriptive data was analyzed through the SPSS software where various descriptive statistics like frequencies, percentages and mean were provided. Additionally, correlational, model summary and ANOVA were part of inferential analyses that were also provided. The presentation of the results was done through tables, figures, pie charts and graphs. The interview responses were analyzed through thematic method. The findings were that, secondary schools were still struggling with finances, had low number of teachers and increased insecurity in the area. In addition, few milestones were made by the schools in creating cultural awareness to impact knowledge among girls on their responsibility to the community. Further, inadequate counseling facilities, science laboratories, and conducive classes, were a major problem facing the secondary schools. Notably, lack of focus despite the set goals, indiscipline cases and negative peer pressure, were the major impediments affecting the girls’ education. The recommendations are that the political and community leaders should consider channeling their frustrations and predicaments to security agencies instead of engaging in clashes. There should be surveillance mechanism by the school administration on the girls that have stopped coming to school and report the matter to the relevant authority for action. The teachers should develop training programs that seek to equip girls with clear concentration methods. | en_US |
