| dc.description.abstract | This research sought to examine the influence of women participating in miraa business have on the academic performance of their primary school children in Runyenjes Division, Embu East District, Kenya. The study aimed at collecting and analyzing standard eight examination results (term one 2011) based on their mothers participation in miraa business in terms of nature of business, time spent, years of participation in miraa business and their attitudes towards miraa business. The study focused on the responses of the women participating in miraa business in the four main centers namely; Ena, Kawanjara, Gikuuri and Runyenjes. The study further targeted the head teachers' responses in the primary schools where the children of the respondents schooled.
The main objective of the study was to establish the relationship between miraa business as an occupation among women and the academic performance of the primary school pupils in order to derive a meaning behind the influence of miraa business on the academic performance of primary school children and hence its influence on the quality of education in Runyenjes division. The study used descriptive survey design and the research instruments used were interview schedules, focus group discussions and documentary analysis of the examination results.
Descriptive statistics and specifically cross tabulation technique was used in data analysis and results presented in percentages and bar charts. The study findings revealed that miraa business among women impacted negatively on the academic performance of the primary school pupils in Runyenjes division. According to the data, pupils from non-miraa business background (mothers) performed better (combined mean of 52.2) than pupils from miraa business mothers. In addition, the miraa businesswomen who specialized in buying miraa had their pupils academically performing better (mean of 49.5) compared to the miraa farmers specialists (combined mean of 46.1) who in turn performed better that specialists in miraa trading (combined mean of 43.7).
Further, the study found that the academic performance of the pupils from miraa background decreased with the increase in the frequency of their mothers' participation in miraa business. Pupils whom parents (non-miraa business mothers) never participated in miraa business performed best (combined mean of 52.2) followed by those miraa business mothers who performed miraa business on monthly (combined mean of 49.1) and weekly (combined mean of 47.7) basis. The miraa business mothers who engaged in miraa business on daily basis had their pupils performing worst in academics (combined mean of 46.1). The study also revealed that the academic performance of the pupil was mainly determined by their mothers expectations of their child's academic attainment and not on their attitude towards miraa business.
Those pupils who received more motivational / academic support! attention from their mothers (daily) academically performed better (combined mean of 47.0) than pupils who receive the same support on either weekly (combined mean of 46.3), monthly (combined mean of 43.0). The statistics shows that pupils whose mothers are non-miraa business mothers received more motivational support than pupils whose mother are miraa businesswomen thus academically performing best (combined mean of 52.2). Lastly, the study found out that the academic performance of pupils decreased with the increase in the number of years their mothers had participated in miraa business. The pupils who came from non-miraa business background were the best performers (combined mean of 52.2) followed by those pupils whose mothers had fewer. In this objective, those miraa businesswomen who had participated in less than one year their pupils scored a combined mean of 50.9 while 1 to 3yrs scored combined mean of 47.8. Those with 3-5yrs had their pupils scoring combined mean of 46.3 and lastly those who recorded over 5 years their pupils scored lowest with a combined mean of 45.4. | en_US |
