Domestic Violence And Its Influence On Pupils’ Academic Performance And School Participation: A Case Study Of Kiandutu Slum – Thika Municipality, Kenya

Domestic violence is a paradox because it occurs in the family, a place where people are expected to maintain intimacy and experience greater emotional support in their relationships. It is ironical therefore, that this very supportive social unit is also the arena where violence is experienced especially in urban slums with untold suffering to the partners involved and also on their children. Children who witness violence between their parents face increased risk for such emotional and behavioural problems as anxiety, depression, poor academic performance, low self-esteem, disobedience, nightmares and physical health complaints all of which may be associated with academic performance and school participation. This research aimed at analyzing domestic violence and its influence on pupils’ academic performance and participation in schools in Kiandutu slum of Thika Municipality. The study used cross-sectional survey on the targeted population, which was made of households living in Kiandutu slum with children going to the local primary schools. It explored cases and types of domestic violence and how they relate to academic performance and participation of pupils in school. The target population comprised of about 700 households from which 80 households were sampled using simple random sampling technique. The study used two sets of tool for data collection: household questionnaire and pupil school participation profile (PSPP). The data was collected in two phases. Phase I involved questionnaire administration at the household level while phase II involved administration of another set of questionnaire to the class- teachers in the primary schools attended by the 154 pupils in the selected households in phase I. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequencies and coefficient of variation as well as tables and charts were used to summarize the data.