Determinants Of Kenya Certificate Of Secondary Education Examination Absenteeism Among Secondary School Students In Imenti South Sub-county, Kenya

The government of Kenya is committed to providing education for all the children. However, every year a good number of students who register for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E) fail to turn up during examinations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of persistent absenteeism by candidates during the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in Imenti South Sub- County. This study adopted a descriptive survey design as the main research method. This design was appropriate because it helped to establish the relationship between variables. Purposive sampling was used as the major research technique. Questionnaires and interview schedules were employed as the main research instruments. The target population for the study was drawn from 68 secondary schools with an estimated population of 14,000 students. A total of 240 students out of 14,000 were included in the sample. Ten (10) principals out of 68 and 60 teachers were sampled to obtain the responses. Five (5) education officers were taken from the educational divisions in the county using purposive sampling. Hence the total sample size yielded 315 subjects. The study employed purposive sampling where each school and other respondents were selected based on a specific purpose. Random sampling of at least one third of the students who missed out exams was considered. Tracer snowballing method was used to trace the whereabouts of those students who missed out examinations. The researcher specifically used self-administered, drop-and-pick questionnaire to respondents as well as conducting the interviews. After receiving the completed questionnaire, the responses were coded for analysis.