Influence of Bicycle Education Empowerment Project on Education Performance of Girls in Selected Day Secondary Schools: a Case of Samia Sub County, Busia County, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to establish the influence of Bicycle Education Empowerment Project on Education Performance of girls in selected day secondary schools in Samia Sub County, Busia County, Kenya. The study problem was to establish whether the bicycle education empowerment project had influence on class attendance, academic performance, participation in co-curricular activities and perceived commuting safety and security. The objectives of the study were; to establish the influence of the bicycle education empowerment project on girls’ school attendance in selected day secondary schools; to examine the influence of the bicycle education empowerment project on girls’ academic performance in selected day secondary schools; to assess the influence of bicycle education empowerment project on girls’ participation in co-curricular activities in day secondary schools and lastly to examine the influence of the bicycle education empowerment project on girls’ commuting safety and security in selected day secondary schools. The hypotheses of the study were; 1. H1: Girls benefitting from the bicycle project attend class more regularly than those who are not; 2. H1: Girls benefitting from the bicycle project score better grades than those who are not; 3. H1: Girls benefitting from the bicycle project participate more frequently in co-curricular activities than those who are not and 4. H1: Girls benefitting from the bicycle project feel safer and secure commuting to school than those who are not. The study adopted causal-comparative research design. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. A sample of 286 students from a target population of 992 students in four different day secondary schools was selected through stratified random sampling with the aid of random numbers table. Prior to data collection, a pilot study of 10% of the sample was conducted in order to test the research instrument by using content analysis and test re-testing methods to determine validity and reliability respectively. The research employed both descriptive and inferential techniques in data analysis. Result of the study demonstrated that the bicycle education empowerment project had influence on education performance of girls in selected day secondary schools. This was indicated by a significant difference in class attendance, participation in co-curricular activities and perceived security where computed chi square p-value was less than p=0.05 hence accepting alternative hypothesis. However, there was no significant difference in academic performance between girls on the bicycle project and those outside of the project where the calculated p-value from chi square was more than p=0.05 hence rejecting the alternative hypothesis. The study concluded that the bicycle project influenced class attendance, participation in co-curricular activities, safety and security but not academic performance. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education and school management should ensure that adequate learning facilities and resources are in place. Additionally, the study noted the immense benefits of the bicycle project and therefore recommended to all stakeholders to have more students enrolled on the project.