Teacher-Student Communication and Prevention of Teenage Pregnancies in Public Secondary Schools in Narok County, Kenya

Abstract

Sexuality plays a very significant role in the lives of both boys and girls. Teacher communication is therefore important in preventing teenage pregnancies among students in secondary schools. Students, who receive training and instruction about how to communicate with their teachers about sexual issues, become more adept at it and express more intent to do so hence a greater impact on preventing teenage pregnancies. The aim of this study was to examine teacher-student communication and preventing teenage pregnancies in Narok County- Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to establish the advisory communication of teachers in preventing teenage pregnancies in Narok County Kenya, to determine the mentorship communication of teachers in preventing teenage pregnancies in Narok Kenya, to establish the teaching communication of teachers in preventing teenage pregnancies in Narok Kenya, to assess the socialization communication of teachers in preventing teenage pregnancies in Narok County Kenya, and to find out the moderating effect of parental mediation on the relationship between teacher communication and preventing teenage pregnancies in Narok County. The study was guided by social penetration theory, communication privacy management theory and social development theory. A mixed research design was used in the study. It combined qualitative and quantitative study approaches. The population of the study included all the 8994 female students of Narok County from 52 secondary schools in the Narok County in the year 2019. The respondents were aged between 13-19 years attending both boarding and day public secondary schools in Narok County. Stratified sampling technique was used to sample the population into strata. The study selected proportionally the subjects from different strata. Total study sample size was 536; 500 respondents for the questionnaire, 12 for the interview, and 24 for the focus group discussions. A questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences computer software package (SPSS statistics version 22). Descriptive statistics drawn include mean, and standard deviation which were presented in tables, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics drawn include multiple regression and correlation analysis. Qualitative data was analyzed by coding, identifying recurring themes and data patterns consisting of words and observations of respondents. Descriptive statistics showed that teacher’s advice through guidance and counseling help in making decisions on teenage pregnancies. The study also found that girls have completed school without getting pregnant as a result of mentorship. In addition, good communication skills of teacher help students in addressing issues such as teenage pregnancies. Student participation in school extracurricular activities gives them a sense of belonging which is important in their continuation to schooling and prevention of teenage pregnancies. The study concluded that mentorship programs were effective in controlling pregnancy cases among school-going girls in the area where the study was done. This implies that if the mentorship programs are well implemented, the pregnancy cases among girls will reduce drastically. The study concluded that individual teachers make decisions on their own regarding what and when to teach sexuality education. The study recommends that the government and stakeholders should strengthen policies and enhance initiatives to educate more girls and reduce early marriages. Traditions among the Maasai community still exist in relation to teenage girls as they are supposed to be married at that tender age. Thus, the government (county or national) should take into consideration the effect of these traditions on policies to combat teenage pregnancy. This will increase their efficacy and improve communication which would be important in curbing teenage pregnancies.