Influence of Social Factors on Teenage Pregnancy in Secondary Schools in Turkana Central Sub County Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between social factors and teenage pregnancy in public secondary schools in Turkana Central Sub County, Kenya. The study was guided by classical liberal theory of equal opportunities and social Darwinism. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey research design. The target population of the study were school principals, teachers and female students who were drawn from mixed and single girls’ public secondary schools in Turkana Central Sub County. Stratified simple random sampling technique was used to select the study sample. Data was collected using Document analysis guide and Questionnaire. Validity of research instrument results was determined by consulting experts. Reliability was determined by use of test re-test technique. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages and means) and inferential statistics (ANOVA and t-test) to test hypotheses.  Data was presented using tables. Findings of the study revealed that teenage pregnancy was high in mixed secondary schools and low in single girls’ secondary schools. The researchers concluded that social factors such as social media, peer pressure, home environment and drug and substance abuse influenced teenage pregnancy.

Key words: social factors; teenage pregnancy