INFLUENCE OF SELECTED FACTORS ON PUPILS’ TRANSITION RATE FROM PUBLIC PRIMARY TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KINANGOP SUB-COUNTY, NYANDARUA, KENYA

Abstract

Despite the high potential of income levels and availability of vacancies in secondary schools in Kinangop Sub-County, Nyandarua, Kenya the region continues to report low pupils‟ transition rates as compared to the national transition rates; approximately 37% of pupils who sit for KCPE in the Sub-County do not transit to secondary schools. Notwithstanding the introduction of subsidized secondary education, the transition rates have still not had a remarkable improvement in the area. Further, there was no evidence that a systematic study has so far been conducted to establish the extent to which social, economic, community based, and school-based factors influence pupils‟ transition rate from Primary to Secondary schools in the Sub-county. The study aimed at determining the extent to which the aforementioned factors influence pupils‟ transition from primary to secondary schools in the Sub-County. Specific objectives of the study were to: - determine the extent to which social factors influence pupils‟ transition rate from primary to secondary schools in Kinangop Sub County; investigate the extent to which economic factors influence pupils‟ transition rate from primary to secondary schools; explore the extent to which community-based factors‟ influence pupils‟ transition rate from primary to secondary schools. The fourth objective was to establish the extent to which school-based factors influence pupils‟ transition rate from primary to secondary schools in Kinangop Sub-County. The fifth objective was to determine the extent to which the combined effect of social, economic, community-based and school based factors influence pupils‟ transition rate from primary to secondary schools in Kinangop Sub-County, Nyandarua County, Kenya. The Ecological Systems Theory and the Human Capital Theory informed the study. The target population was 420 individual teachers from public primary schools in Kinangop Sub-County. The sample size consisted of 201 public primary school teachers in the Sub-county. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire. Consulting supervisors and experts in the Department of Curriculum and Educational Management determined the validity of the research instrument. Reliability was determined through carrying out a pilot study in two schools in the neighbouring Nyandarua South Sub-County and a coefficient of 0.82 was achieved. Collected data was analyzed through simple and multiple regression analysis at .05 alpha level using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The findings of the study indicated that social factors accounted for 72.0% of the total variance in transition rate of pupils from primary to secondary schools, economic factors accounted for 4.6% of the total variance in transition rate of pupils from primary to secondary schools. Further, community-based factors accounted for 93.3% of the total variance in transition rate of pupils from primary to secondary schools while school-based factors accounted for 93.7% of the total variance in transition rate of pupils from primary to secondary schools. The findings indicate that the combined effect of social, economic, community-based and school-based factors on the transition rate of pupils from primary to secondary schools in Kinangop Sub-County accounted for 94.5% of the total variance in transition rate. The findings from the study could be beneficial to school managers, parents, teachers and Ministry of Education as it has revealed the specific factors hindering pupils‟ transition rate from primary to secondary schools in Kinangop Sub-County, Nyandarua County, Kenya. The findings and recommendations could also motivate scholars to carry out further research in other areas of the country.