Influence of Domestic Violence on Students’ Classroom Behaviour in Public Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

The research aimed to ascertain how domestic violence affects students' classroom behaviour in Bungoma County, Kenya, secondary schools. The study investigated this by looking at the degree to which different types of domestic violence affected students' classroom behaviour, the manifestation of domestic violence in the students' violent behaviour in the classroom, and the causes, perceptions, and responses to acts of domestic violence. Finally, it established practical interventions to address the issue. The foundation of this study's theory was behavioural psychology, which holds that behaviour is learned or acquired through its environment. According to the research analysis, DV was ubiquitous worldwide and harmed kids' behaviour in the classroom. Principals, guidance and counselling staff, secondary school students, and parents from registered social groups made up the target population that the researcher employed in the descriptive survey design. One thousand six hundred respondents made up the target demographic, and 666 were selected at random, stratified, and purposefully from that group. A total of 666 people were sampled: 36 instructors of guidance and counselling, 36 administrators, 576 students, and 18 parents. In addition, the research included focus groups with parents, interviews with administrators and instructors of guidance and counselling, questionnaires for students, and document analyses in the schools where the study was conducted as its other four data gathering methods. A pilot study was conducted for validity, and the test-retest method was used for reliability. Utilizing frequencies and percentages, the data gathered from the surveys was statistically analyzed. The themes of the research goals were used to guide a qualitative analysis of the data from the interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. The results demonstrate that different types of domestic abuse impact pupils' behaviour in the classroom. First, it negatively affects their intellectual capacity, which has a knock-on effect on their personality. Second, it makes it harder for them to focus in class, severely affecting their academic achievement. Affected pupils either quit school or behave violently in class as a consequence. According to the report, numerous pupils were also found to be victims of domestic violence, including sexual abuse, physical assault, and mental and psychological torment. The results also showed that the kids' classroom interactions and academic performance are significantly impacted by the post-traumatic stress symptoms of domestic abuse. Notably, afflicted kids are antisocial and have diminished abilities to foster positive peer interactions. A document study also showed that their class performance is below average. Furthermore, it was determined that disciplining those who commit acts of domestic violence calls for a careful approach to punishment. Domestic violence prevention initiatives may unintentionally grow into a more severe problem, particularly for the victims. The research highlights the need to give individuals extraordinary care to salvage and reintegrate into a healthy culture. It urges increased public awareness of how and where to file reports to prevent domestic violence from harming students. Establishing restorative treatments for collegiate victims of domestic abuse will need further study in the future.