Effects Of Domestic Violence On Students Academic Performance In Public Day Secondary Schools In Tetu Sub County, Nyeri County, Kenya

Abstract

Domestic violence refers to a pattern of behavior which involves violence or other abuse by one person against the other in a domestic setting such as in the family, marriage or cohabitation. Children who witness domestic violence are likely to be engage in fighting, disobedience to authority and also feel reluctant in doing school work. Tetu Sub County has continued to register fluctuating performance as compared to the neighboring sub counties. This study therefore sought to establish if domestic violence has been influencing students‟ academic performance in the KCSE examination. The objectives of the study were: to determine how physical abuse, psychological abuse and sexual abuse influence student‟s academic performance in public day secondary schools in Tetu Sub County. The respondents that were involved in the study included students, guidance and counseling teachers and school heads. This study employed a descriptive research design. The research took place in Tetu Sub County, Nyeri County. The sample size of the study was 230 which constituted 200 students ie 200 students, 20 guidance and counseling teachers and 10 school heads. The study revealed that 72.9% of the student respondents were aware of the existence of domestic violence and 60.5% of them were victims of domestic violence. The study also revealed that 90% of teachers agreed that domestic violence had an impact on academic performance of the students. The study further assessed the parents‟ occupation in order to establish how it contributed to domestic violence. From the data sought by the study, 90% of the teachers indicated that psychological abuse was the most prevalent type of domestic violence found in their schools.85% of the teachers also indicated that physical abuse was prevalent while very few teachers at 5% indicated that sexual abuse was prevalent. All the principals agreed that Domestic Violence had a great impact on the Academic Performance of the Students. From the findings, it can be concluded that domestic violence has an extreme impact on the academic performance of students in public day secondary schools in Tetu Sub County, Nyeri County. Some recommendations made by this study was that the government and other stake holders should put in place strategies to curb domestic violence and its effects on Education in public day secondary schools. For instance, the ministry of education and other non-governmental organizations should come up with programs such as counseling sessions for students who have experienced domestic violence. These strategies should address student‟s strengths and weaknesses so as to enhance their academic performance.