Effects of the Domestic Violence on the Academic Performance of Pupils in Magumoni Division, Tharaka Nithi County

Abstract

Domestic violence is increasingly becoming a menace to children and is reported to be affecting their growth and developmental patterns. The cases of domestic violence in Kenya but the effect of the violence on academic performance of students in Magumoni Division of Kenya had not to been established.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of domestic violence on academic performance of pupils in Magumoni Division of Kenya. This study was guided by Erik Erikson’s theory of Psychosocial Development. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population was the 947 pupils and 68 teachers. A sample of 6 schools was randomly selected, forming 17.6 % of the targeted schools. A sample size of 93 participants was used for the study, which comprised 83 pupils and 10 teachers. The sampling was random for pupils and purposive for the teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires for the pupils and interview schedule for the teachers. Piloting was done in two schools that were not included in the study using 20 pupils 2 teachers and sampled by the same criteria described in the section of sampling procedure. Before the actual data collection the researcher tested the reliability of the instrument using split half technique by application of Spearman Brown prophesy formula. A correlation coefficient of 0.82 was obtained and the instruments were deemed reliable. Quantitative data collected was analyzed by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 21).  Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study established majority of the children were exposed to domestic violence. The study recommends that; the national and county government should work with social services offices and set up. The school administration should also set up strong counseling departments where children can confidently report the cases where of domestic violence so that they can be helped.

Keywords: Discipline, Domestic Violence, Academic Performance, Abuse