Publication:

An investigation on effects of drug abuse on Learning in secondary schools in Kaiti Division, Makueni County

Drug and substance abuse threatens and tends to derail these noble strides by demotivating the students in learning and subsequently ruining school going children that the government intends to rely on in driving the economy to the next level. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of drug and substance abuse on participation in learning among secondary school students in Kaiti Division, Makueni County in Kenya. The study used descriptive survey design combining both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The research targeted all the form three students and their respective school principals in the 25 secondary schools in Kaiti Division. Nine schools constituting 36% of the 28 schools in Kaiti Division were sampled. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of the nine schools and their respective principals. From each selected school, 20 Form three students were selected using systematic sampling. Questionnaires will be used for data collection. Reliability and validity of the instruments was assessed through a pilot study prior to actual data collection procedure. Computer programmes such as excel were used to analyze both qualitative and quantitative data. The data was presented in pie charts, tables and bar graphs. On basis of the findings, the study concludes that all the principals had experienced cases of drug abuse by students in their schools. Majority of the principals (87.5%) kept records of those students engaging in drug abuse. The study concluded that most of the schools offered guidance and counselling to the students and that most of the students had attended guidance and counseling against drugs in their schools. Alcohol was the frequently abused drug in the schools as expressed by a percentage of 41.68%. The study concluded that drug abuse among the students caused dropping out of school, strained relationship with other students, lack of interest in studying, low concentration span and declining grades. The study concluded that anxiety, headache, feeling sleepy, confusion and vomiting were serious effects of drug abuse among students and that the students have friends who take drugs.