Relationship between physical forms of gender-based violence and students’ test scores in public secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

Research in Kenya on gender-based violence (GBV) among learners has so far focused on the gender related violence experienced by learners and not considered the impact of physical violence on the learning outcomes of the learners. This paper looks at the correlation between physical nature of gender-based violence and students’ performance in test in public secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya. The study used the correlational research design with the theories of Social Feminism and Resilience to understand the influence of structural inequality and coping mechanism on the academic performance of the learners. The cluster of 184 schools were selected using a stratified random sampling technique from a population of about 250,000 public secondary schools in Bungoma County, out of which 1,104 students were sampled. Additionally, 184 guidance and counselling teachers, three Sub-County Directors of Education, 13 GBAV survivors and one County Woman Representative were purposively selected to give qualitative insights. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data, as well as document analysis. Students' experiences of physical violence were measured using a Likert-type scale and the reliability of the research instruments was determined by using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, regression analysis) were used for quantitative data and themes were used for qualitative data. The findings showed a weak, but statistically significant, negative correlation between students' internal test scores and the physical forms of gender-based violence (r = −.074, p = .043), suggesting that the more students were exposed to physical forms of gender-based violence, the lower their academic performance was. The qualitative results also indicated that students' focus, attendance, and participation in class was affected by the experiences they had endured, including physical punishment, peer aggression, and physical intimidation. The authors find that while the statistical association is relatively weak, physical violence in school settings negatively affects the learning environment and can affect academic performance. The results underscore the need to enhance school-based interventions, reporting systems, and counseling and psychosocial support, to ensure the safety of learners, and to foster positive learning experiences.