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Chinyoka Kudzai , T. Hlupo , Denhere C , M. Kufakunesu , E. Ganga

Abstract

This article examined the factors that militate against the education of form three (3) boys from poor families in two secondary schools in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. The main purpose of the research was to establish the magnitude of the effects of the factors that are known to militate against the education of boys. Recently, education in Zimbabwe has mainly concentrated on the girl child at the expense of boys,yet there are unique factors that the boy child faces that must be addressed in order to achieveEducation for All by 2015.The study is grounded in Urie Bronfenbrenners’ ecological theory.In this study, a qualitativephenomenological design was used with focus group discussions, interviews and observations as data collection instruments to ten (10) boy children and six (6) teachers in Masvingo province. Findings revealed thatbroken families, poverty in households and poor supervision by parents negatively affected retention of boys in school. Also, child labour, low self-motivation and lack of interest in education were identified by teachers as being the major factors influencing academic performance. The boys implicated involvement in bad company/peer pressure, drug abuse, malnutrition and health related problems and misuse of technology as the major factors that influence academic performance.The government should conduct awareness campaigns to ensure parents and pupils fully appreciate the importance of basic education. 

Keywords

ecological, militate, phenomenological, education, poverty and boys

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Kufakunesu Moses , Ganga Emily , Chinyoka Kudzai , Hlupo Takesure , Denhere Christmas

Abstract

This study endeavoured to explore the sentiments of secondary school adolescent learners regarding the way they are generally treated by significant others such as parents and teachers in Masvingo urban schools. The researchers were primed to embark on the study after realising that adolescence is a unique developmental stage in which the adolescents have unique emotional, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual and moral needs. The study was anchored on Erikson's psychosocial theory and Rogers' person-centred self-theory. The descriptive survey research design was employed with focus group discussions as the data gathering instruments. A sample of eighty (80) adolescents comprising 40 boys and 40 girls was selected using the stratified random sampling method. The data gathered through focus group discussions was subjected to thematic data analysis. The chi-squared test was also employed to explore the association between the level of adolescence and the adolescents' attitudes towards adult control and guidance. It was established that adolescents to a great extent harboured negative sentiments towards the manner in which their teachers and parents treated them at times. They pointed out that some of the norms and values emphasised by their parents and teachers were virtually outdated and anchored on stale information. The adolescents intimated that sometimes their teachers and parents deliberately prevented them from capitalising on the available technological innovations. The researchers recommended that teachers and parents should take their time to study the developmental needs of adolescents in a technologically dynamic world so as to sufficiently understand how best to help the adolescents.

Keywords

Teenager, Adolescence, Peers, Identity Versus Role Confusion, Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard, Parenting Styles

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