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© 2024 Wafubwa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

This mixed methods study investigated factors associated with school retention among marginalized adolescents in four different settings in Kenya, following COVID-19 school closures. Logistic regressions were used to examine factors associated with school retention in 2022 among 1798 adolescent students aged 10–19 in 2020. Qualitative data from 89 in-depth interviews (64 adolescents aged 11–19 and 25 parents), and 21 key informants were thematically analysed. Among female adolescents, age (aOR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.87) and internet access (aOR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.87) were negatively associated with school retention. Engaging in income-generating activities was similarly linked to reduced school retention (aOR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.46). For male adolescents, household loss of income (aOR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.76) and engaging in income-generating activities (aOR = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.19) were associated with lower school retention. The qualitative findings highlighted the gendered nature of barriers to school retention. Specifically, pregnancy, child marriage, and related childcare responsibilities emerged as important constraints for girls, whereas engaging in income-generating activities and drug and alcohol use were more dominant factors for boys. Across both genders, financial constraints were a key barrier to school retention. This study underscores the multifaceted nature of factors influencing school retention among marginalized adolescents in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings provide useful information for designing targeted policies and programmes for adolescent school retention in times of crisis.

Details

Title
Adolescent school retention post COVID-19 school closures in Kenya: A mixed-methods study
Author
Wafubwa, Ruth Nanjekho  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Soler-Hampejsek, Erica; Muluve, Eva; Osuka, Daniel; Austrian, Karen
First page
e0315497
Section
Research Article
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Dec 2024
Publisher
Public Library of Science
e-ISSN
19326203
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3143786563
Copyright
© 2024 Wafubwa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.