The Cultural Factors Affecting Academic Performance of Orphaned Girls in Primary Schools in Meru South Sub- County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the cultural factors affecting academic performance of orphaned girls in public primary schools in Meru South Sub-county. Descriptive survey research design was used. The target population was 600 orphaned girls in 150 public primary schools from which a sample size of 250 orphaned girls in class 6 and 7 was purposively selected for the study. In addition, 50 teachers who teach standard 6 and 7 were included in the sample for triangulation. Data from the respondents was collected through questionnaires. The computer based statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 was used to analyze the data. Data was presented by use of frequency distribution tables. The study found out that cultural factors such as; Inducement by orphaned girls’ relatives to drop out of school to get married, cultural belief that girls are not supposed to inherit their parents’ property and performing heavy gender roles like cooking and washing negatively affected academic performance of orphaned girls. The government needs to enforce the law against retrogressive cultural practices such; as offering young girls for marriage to earn dowry, denying orphaned girls inheritance to their parents’ property and pressure to undergo FGM which affects academic performance of orphaned girls.