Improving Educational Attainment for Girls: A Case Study of One Rural Kenyan School

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine one rural Kenyan community’s attempts to improve the educational attainment for primary school girls in the region. Data were gathered through field notes; school artifacts; and interviews with teachers, community members, and grade eight girls. The asset-building theory of change (social, human, physical, and economic) was used to analyze the barriers to education, solutions to those barriers, and results from those solutions. Although some research studies of school improvements in Kenya exist, this research addresses a critical gap in understanding how even small improvements in a school can positively impact educational progress for girls in a rural community. While the improvements at this school are still ongoing, the initial results from this pilot study demonstrate the importance of addressing basic needs for girls that can further prepare them for a better future within their own cultural context. Three main findings emerged from the qualitative data: 1) addressing school infrastructure, 2) sanitary supplies with mentoring, and 3) family and community support for the school.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational attainment
• girls’ education
• international barriers to education
• Kenya
• poverty

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.