Influence of Parent's Level of Income on Student's Enrolment in Secondary Schools in Rachuonyo East Sub-County, Homabay County, Kenya

Abstract

Low enrolment rates in secondary schools have been experienced in Homabay County, in particular Rachuonyo East Sub-County. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of family socioeconomic status on the enrolment of students in Secondary schools in Rachuonyo East Sub-County, Homabay County. A total of 13,786 respondents were targeted comprising 25 Principals, 9 Chiefs, 1 Sub-County Education officer, 5400 parents, and 8350 students. A sample of 355 respondents comprised of 14 Principals, 1 Sub-County Education Officer, 9 Chiefs, 15 parents, and 316 students was sampled for this study. The researcher used simple random sampling to sample the Secondary schools' students, while purposive sampling was applied to sample the principals, Chiefs, and the Sub- County officer. The study depended on questionnaires for students, while an Interview guide was used for Principals, Chiefs, Sub-County Educational officers, and parents. Piloting of research instruments was done in Rachuonyo East Sub-County, on 10% of the sample size. Test-retest technique was used to test for the reliability of the instruments; Cronbach Alpha was used to compute the instruments' reliability at 0.7. To ensure the validity of the research instruments, the instruments were developed under the close guidance of the supervisors. Dependability and credibility are enhanced in the research instruments. After data cleaning, the quantitative data was coded and entered into the computer for analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 for windows which was analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics which was presented using percentages, frequencies, and coefficient correlation, respectively. Qualitative data was analysed in themes and presented in narrative form. Based on the findings received from the study, it was evident that the socioeconomic status of families had an effect on the enrolment of students in the Rachuonyo east sub-county. There were two strong positive correlations under the level of income objective. There was a high likelihood that students who came from low-income backgrounds would have challenges in enrolling on the next term or class. Additionally, lack of support from parents, demotivation, and indiscipline issues contributed to a decrease in the enrolment of students. It was also vital to note that the two most vulnerable issues that would decrease the enrolment of students were low-income levels and the lower level of education of parents