TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ................................................................................. i
APPROVAL ...................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION ................................................................................. iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................... .iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................ vii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER ONE .......................................................................... 1
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................... 1
1.1 Statement of the problem ....................................................... 2
1.2 Purpose of the study .............................................................. 2
1.3 Objectives of the study ........................................................... 2
1.4 Research questions ................................................................ 2
1.5 Scope of the study ................................................................. 3
1.6 Significance of the study ........................................................ 3
CHAPTER TWO ......................................................................... 4
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 4
CHAPTER THREE ................................................................... 10
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................... 10
3.0 Introduction ......................................................................... 10
3 .1 Research design ................................................................... 10
3.2 Research area and population .............................................. 10
3.3 Sample size and sampling technique .................................... 10
3.4 Research instruments .......................................................... 11
3.5 Type of data used ................................................................. 11
V
3.6 Data collection procedure ..................................................... 11
3. 7 Analysis of data ................................................................... 11
CHAPTER FOUR ...................................................................... 12
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF
FINDINGS ............................................................................... 12
4.0 Introduction ......................................................................... 12
4.1 Background information ...................................................... 12
4.1.1 Prevalence of absenteeism ................................................. 12
4.2 Causes of absenteeism in primary schools ........................... 13
4.2.1 School based factors that cause absenteeism .................... 13
4.2.2 Home based factors that influenced learner absenteeism .. 14
4.3 The relationship between absenteeism and academic progress
of learners ..................................................................................... 15
4.4 Does absenteeism influence child school drop out? .............. 17
CHAPTER FIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION ................................................................ 18
5.0 Introduction ......................................................................... 18
5.1 Summary of findings and discussions .................................. 18
5.2 Conclusion .......................................................................... 19
5.3 Recommendations ................................................................ 20
REFERENCES ......................................................................... 22
APPENDICES ................................................................................ 24
APPENDIX I: Questionnaire for teachers ........................................ 24
ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence on learner's absenteeism on their academic progress in Baringo county, Salawa division in Kenya. The following objectives guided the study; to establish the prevalence and causes of absenteeism, to establish the relationship between absenteeism and poor academic perfonnance and to find out if absenteeism affects the children's retention in school. The respondents were teachers since they were the people with first hand info1mation about the lemners. A questionnaire was used to cany out this investigation. Finding of the study showed that absenteeism was rampant in school and the causes were both home based and school based factors, and that some learners pe1fonned poorly because of absenteeism and in some cases they dropped out of school. It was recommended that teachers change their attitude towards their learners and make learning interesting. They should also counsel the leaniers.