Repetition Rates in Public Secondary Schools in Kericho District in Relation to Selected School Characteristics. A Situational Analysis

Abstract

The Education Sector in Kenya and other parts of the world has faced many challenges particularly student repetition, which is one of the indicators of low internal efficiency during the past two decades. This study determined and analyzed the student repetition levels of Public Secondary Schools in Kericho District of Kenya for the period between 2004 and 2007. The internal efficiency indicator that was examined in relation to school characteristics was repetition rates. Data was collected from Heads of schools and Guidance and Counseling Teachers in all the 64 public secondary schools in the district that were already doing KCSE examinations by 2004. The study used descriptive survey as a method of data collection and employed Cross Sectional Research Design as a framework for data collection. Primary data on repetition rates was obtained from the respondents using structured questionnaire. Means, Percentages, Frequencies, Standard Deviations and T-tests were used to establish repetition levels. Tests of significance was set at 5% significance level. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study revealed that internal efficiency levels particularly repetition rates were higher in Day compared to Boarding schools, Mixed compared to Single Sex schools and Single Stream compared to Large Size schools. The study also found that repetition rates increased with increasing levels of education. The findings of the study are beneficial to the school managers especially the Board of Governors (BOG), the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and Schools Principals, as well as the Ministry of Education in making decisions about school size, school regime and school type, with respect to internal efficiency specifically repetition rates. KEY TERMS: Dropout, School Characteristics, School Regime, School Type and School Size