Relationship between psychological forms of gender-based violence and students’ test scores in public secondary schools in Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

Studies on gender-based violence (GBV) among students in Kenya have focused mostly on the physical and sexual aspects of the violence and have not paid much attention to the psychological aspects and their direct effects on the academic performance of students. This article was specialized to look at the correlation between psychological GBV and the test scores of students in the public secondary schools in Bungoma County. The research design utilized in the study was a correlational research design based on the social feminism theory and the resilience theory to comprehend the impact of emotional abuse, insults, threats, isolation, and intimidation of learners on their academic accomplishment. There was a stratified random sample size of 1,104 students in a population of estimated student age of 15 to 17 years, amounting to about a quarter of a million students in 184 randomly selected secondary schools. Also, 184 guidance and counseling teachers, 3 sub-county directors of education, 13 GBV survivors, and 1 county woman representative were qualitatively sampled through purposive sampling. Collection of data was carried out by use of questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis. Likert-type scales saw into the psychological experiences of GBV, and the internal reliability of instruments was checked through the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. The descriptive and inferential statistics were used (Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and linear regression) to analyze quantitative data, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed on the basis of the themes. The findings showed a weak negative significant correlation between psychological violence and the student grades in internal school tests (r = -.076, p = .037), which meant that in cases of students exposed to emotional and psychological abuse, their performance in internal school exams was degraded. These results were also supported by qualitative data analysis, as the predominant themes identified involved constant experiences of verbal abuse, manipulation, and ostracism by peers and teachers that negatively affected self-esteem and academic motivation of the students. These findings are the testimony of the need to be more attentive to psychological violence in schools, which is one of the risky types of GBV. The study suggests specific recommendations, and they are the provision of adequate psychosocial support, emotional safety training, and inclusive school environments that are responsive and sensitive to emotional harm in students. Addressing psychological GBV, the article also provides stewardship in understanding the premise of educational equity and student well-being, in turn, in advocating the need to move policy and practice to promote safer and more supportive learning environments.