The Influence of Child Labor on Academic Achievement of Primary School Pupils in Suba and Homa-Bay Districts, Kenya

Abstract

This causal-comparative study investigated the effects of child labor on academic achievement of primary school pupils in Suba and Homa-Bay districts in Kenya. The participants of this study were Class 7 pupils drawn from 12 schools in these two districts. A total of 333 pupils that is, 171 boys and 162 girls participated in the study. The academic achievement scores, which were extracted from the schools’ end-term examination records, were used to compare the participants on the dependent variable. The results of this study showed that pupils who were involved in child labor had a significantly lower academic achievement mean score than those not involved. The results also indicated that boys not involved had a significantly higher academic achievement mean score than girls not involved. Furthermore, boys involved in child labor activities had a significantly higher academic mean score than girls involved in child labor activities. It was concluded that there were child labor and gender effects on academic achievement of primary school pupils in Suba and Homa Bay districts. This study recommends that school pupils should not engage in fishing activities.