Effect of pupils’ involvement in tourism activities on academic performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education(KCPE) examination in Diani, Kwale county, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of pupils’ involvement in tourism activities on their academic performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in Diani Zone in Kwale County. The specific objectives of the study were; to identify the tourism activities pupils are involved in; to establish the factors contributing to pupils’ involvement in tourism activities; to examine the effect of the involvement on their academic performance in the KCPE examination and to examine the strategies put in place to curb the problem. This was done using the descriptive survey research design in which data was collected through questionnaires on the Curriculum Support Officer (CSO), 8 head teachers, 24 class teachers, 143 pupils and interviews on 5 community members of Diani. The data collected from the survey was analyzed and the results were expressed in frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that pupils are involved in hawking, guiding of tourists, dancing in hotels and even prostitution due to poverty, desire for quick money, the presence of the European, pressure from parents, forced repetition, corporal punishment, broken families and promises of riches and foreign trips by the Whites. The study also revealed that pupils’ involvement in tourism activities affects their academic performance in the KCPE examination. The conclusion of the study was, therefore, that pupils’ involvement in tourism activities in Diani in Kwale County negatively affects their academic performance in the KCPE examination and that there is a glaring necessity for both the Central and the Kwale County Governments to take the issue seriously. The study recommends that clear laws aimed at stopping pupils’ involvement in tourism activities in the Zone should be enacted. In addition, both the Central and the Kwale County Governments should come up with other strategies to curb the problem. Non-Governmental organizations should continue to raise awareness on the dangers of pupils’ involvement in tourism activities. The study also suggests that similar studies be carried out in other tourism hubs the Coastal region like Mtwapa, Kikambala, Shanzu, Lamu and Malindi to compare the findings on the effect of pupils’ involvement in tourism activities on their academic performance as pupils in these areas also perform poorly in the KCPE examination every year.