Effects of out-of-school suspension on students’ behaviour in public secondary schools: a case of Kyuso Sub-County, Kitui County
Date
2022
Authors
Mwinzi, Esther Kimala
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
The usage of out-of-school suspension has been employed by the school administration in order to address incidents of indiscipline as students’ lack of discipline continues to be a worry for the majority of educators, parents, and society at large. This came about after Kenyan government ratified the UN Charter on Human Rights and outlawed corporal punishment in schools in accordance with global trends pertaining to children’s rights. However, little is known about how out-of-school suspension affects students’ behaviour after being punished, even though principals and school administrators have continued to utilise it as a tool to combat indiscipline in schools. This study’s aim was to investigate the impacts of out-of-school suspension and behaviour on academic performance, dropout rates, and the relationship between students and teachers in public secondary schools in Kyuso sub-county, Kitui County. The study was guided by the deterrent and reformative theories of punishment and social learning theory by Albert Bandura. The theory helps to explain the identifiable cause of the behaviour and proposes how new behaviours could be acquired. The study adopted a descriptive survey design utilizing closed-ended questionnaires, randomized sample designs, and structured interviews. Data analysis for the study was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study’s empirical methodology focused on extrapolating results from a sample to the entire population. The study used a population of 450 respondents from a sample of schools in Kyuso sub-county. Prior to the actual research, a pilot study was conducted in one of the schools within the sub-county to enable the researcher to identify whether the tools for data collection were suitable. The pilot school was not part of the study. Inferential tests of regression (p) and Pearson’s correlation (r) were used to test the correlation of the two sets of responses. Alpha (p) value <0.5 and r value > 0.5 tested at a 0.05 significance level. The findings of the study revealed that there was a positive correlation between OSS and students’ behaviour. Thus, it was determined that OSS has a considerable impact on secondary school students’ behaviour in Kyuso Sub County, Kitui County. When utilised in isolation, OSS cannot control students’ misbehaviour in schools; instead, all stakeholders must work together to find the best solution.
Description
A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Education Management at Strathmore University
Keywords
Out-of-school suspension, Students’ behaviour, Public secondary schools, Kyuso Sub-County, Kitui County