Socio-Cultural Factors and Academic Performance of Girls in Mixed Day Secondary Schools in Wajir County

Abstract

Girls’ performance in national examinations remains a critical concern in marginalised regions of Kenya, particularly in Wajir County, where persistent socio-cultural barriers continue to undermine academic achievement. Deeply entrenched gender norms, early marriage practices, restrictive gender roles, and negative community attitudes significantly limit girls’ participation and academic performance. Despite government interventions aimed at improving girls’ educational outcomes, girls in mixed day secondary schools in Wajir County recorded a mean grade of D+ compared with the boys’ mean grade of C plain, reflecting a significant and persistent performance gap. Existing literature has often treated cultural, socio-economic, and institutional factors in isolation, overlooking how they collectively influence girls’ academic outcomes. Consequently, conceptual and empirical knowledge gaps remain regarding their interplay in Wajir County. This study therefore sought to address this gap by examining the influence of socio-cultural factors on the academic performance of girls in mixed day secondary schools in Wajir County. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design that integrated quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target population comprised 413 Form Four girls from 59 mixed day secondary schools in Wajir County, from whom a sample of 203 students was derived using Yamane’s formula. Six teachers were purposively selected as key informants for the qualitative strand. Data were collected using structured questionnaires based on a five-point Likert scale and semi-structured interview guides. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The study found that early marriage was a negative and statistically significant predictor of girls’ academic performance (B = -0.148, p = .001). Gender roles and community attitudes also had negative and statistically significant effects on academic performance (B = -0.177, p = .001; B = -0.195, p < .001, respectively), with community attitudes emerging as the strongest socio-cultural predictor in the model. The study concluded that socio-cultural factors had a statistically significant effect on girls’ academic performance (p < .001; R² = .573). It recommends prioritising community sensitisation programmes addressing early marriage, restrictive gender roles, and negative parental attitudes alongside policy enforcement. Future research should include different learner populations, use longitudinal and mixed-methods designs, and examine additional academic, economic, institutional, and psychological variables affecting girls’ academic achievement.