Publication: An evaluation of the applicability of rights to education for sexually abused early childhood learners in Kinangop Sub-County, Nyandarua County, Kenya.
Total Views 0
total viewsTotal Downloads 6
total downloadsDate
2015-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mount Kenya University
Cite this Item
Abstract
All children are entitled to a basic right to education as enshrined in Basic Education Act, 2012.
However, realization of such rights has faced numerous challenges though little has been done to
establish the influence of child sexual abuse. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the applicability
of rights to education for sexually abused early childhood learners in Kinangop Sub-county,
Nyandarua County, Kenya. The objectives of the study included; guidance and counselling
services, child protection, instructional resources and stakeholders’ attitudes in relation to
education of sexually abused children. This study was guided by The Attachment Theory which
was postulated by Bowlby (1990). The study adopted mixed methods approach and a descriptive
survey. Target population comprised the 53 ECDE Center managers, 146 ECDE Teachers, 106
parents’ representatives, five Children’s officers and 1190 ECDE Children all totaling to 1500.
The researcher sampled 20% of the targeted ECDE Centers, that is, ten ECDE Centers.
Similarly, based on the same proportion, 20% of the target population, that is, 300 respondents
were sampled. Stratified sampling was applied to create five strata based on the number of zones
in Kinangop Sub-county. From each stratum, two ECDE Center managers and nine ECDE
Teachers were selected using purposive sampling. The Children’s Officers were also selected
using purposive sampling. Six parents’ representatives and 43 ECDE children were selected
using simple random sampling. Questionnaires were used to collect data from ECDE Center
managers and ECDE Teachers, interview schedules for Children’s Officers and Parents’
Representatives whereas observation checklist was used to collect data from ECDE children.
Piloting of research instruments was conducted amongst two ECDE Center Managers and eight
ECDE Teachers to establish validity, reliability, credibility and dependability. Reliability
coefficient was determined using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Method and reliability
coefficient, = 0.65, was obtained indicating high internal consistency. Data analysis began by
identifying common themes. Frequency counts of the responses were obtained to generate
information about the respondents and to illustrate the general trend of findings on the various
variables that were under investigation. Qualitative data was analysed based on research
objectives while quantitative data was analysed using ANOVA in Statistical Packages for Social
Science (SPSS Version 21). The findings of the study were presented using tables. The study
established that applicability of rights to education amongst sexually abused children has not
been fully realized. The study thus recommends that ECDE Centers should start guidance and
counselling units within the centers for sexually abused children to help mitigate against trauma
and other attendant consequences of sexual abuse. Stakeholders should be trained on different
child protection measures so that they can be able to identify and prevent cases or potential
instances of child sexual abuse (CSA). Educators should develop a mastery of skills on how to
use different instructional resources to enhance applicability of rights to education for sexually
abused children. Stakeholders should manifest positive perception towards education of sexually
abused children since faulty perception would drive the child victims of sexual abuse away from
school due to stigma and victimization.
Description
Keywords
school of education, early childhood studies