An assessment of features of school culture influencing student deviance in schools within Bungoma County, Kenya
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Date
2018-06-14
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
KIBU
Abstract
Whereas many schools have been known to exhibit strong school cultures that seem to drive academic excellence,
deviant behaviour in schools continues to be a matter of global concern. Knowledge of the role school culture plays in
mitigating deviance is vital for any prevention programme yet this has been missing. The purpose of this study was
to address this gap by examining influence of features of school culture on student deviant behaviour in secondary
schools of Bungoma County, Kenya. A sample size of 79 was used from a study population size [N] of 504 composed
of school management staff in secondary schools of Bungoma County. The mixed research design that comprised of
concurrent triangulation, correlation and phenomenology was employed. Multiphase and stratified sampling was
used to select schools. Purposive sampling was used to select school management staff. The data for the study was
obtained through questionnaires and interviews. Descriptive statistics: cross-tabulations and frequency tables
together with inferential statistical analyses: Chi square and simple linear regression analyses were used to analyze
the data. The study established that all the sampled features of school culture were being applied in schools within
Bungoma County. Chi-square tests revealed a significant relationship between features of school culture and student
deviant behaviour prevalence in Bungoma County schools. Regression analysis revealed a weak to moderate
relationship between features of school culture and deviance levels. The study concludes that school culture
influences student deviant behaviour prevalence. The study recommends that alleviation of student deviant
behaviour in Bungoma county schools requires formulation of school cultures that ensure engagement of
partnerships both within school and family environments as prescribed by Bronfenbrenner’s model. The findings
give an empirical backing to educational policy makers in addressing school culture as an important variable among
contributors to student deviance.
Description
Keywords
School Culture, Features, Student Deviance, Secondary, Bungoma County