Exploring Cultural Practices Impeding Girls' Secondary Education in Malawi: The Case of Lilongwe Rural West Education District (LRWED)

Autor/inn/en	Mkamanga, Esther; Ndala, Ken Kaziputa; Chigeda, Antony
Titel	Exploring Cultural Practices Impeding Girls' Secondary Education in Malawi: The Case of Lilongwe Rural West Education District (LRWED)
Quelle	In: Educational Planning, 29 (2022) 4, S.27-44 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1537-873X
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Secondary Education; Females; Womens Education; Cultural Influences; Barriers; Equal Education; Gender Bias; Social Influences; Sexuality; Sex Education; Marriage; Dropouts; Childrens Rights; Beliefs; Malawi + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Sekundarbereich; Weibliches Geschlecht; 'Women''s education'; Frauenbildung; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Geschlechterstereotyp; Sozialer Einfluss; Sexualität; Sex instruction; Sexualaufklärung; Sexualerziehung; Sexualkunde; Ehe; Drop-out; Drop-outs; Dropout; Early leavers; Schulversagen; 'Children''s rights'; Kindesrecht; Belief; Glaube
Abstract	The purpose of this study was to investigate underlining cultural factors impeding girls' secondary education in Lilongwe Rural West Education Division (LRWED) of Malawi. Underperformance of girls in comparison to boys in their education persists. Hence the need to explore the underpinning social-cultural factors is there. The study employed a mixed methods research design. Using a multi-stage sampling approach, a sample of 295 respondents was selected from five cluster leader government secondary schools in LRWED comprising of headteachers, teachers, Form 4 female students, and parents. Data were generated through survey questionnaires, Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD). Findings indicated that key social-cultural factors affecting girls' education in LRWED include girls' initiation ceremonies, unplanned pregnancies, early marriages and poverty. Initiation ceremonies were found to contribute to early sex experimentation that undermined girls' continued interest and persistence in education through poor retention, repetition, and subsequent dropout. The findings further revealed that the absence of sex education in the schools' curriculum is the lead cause of parental dependence on local initiation ceremonies. This implies that the incorporation of cultural and sex education in schools' curricula or programs could help curb parental dependence on initiation ceremonies for girls' sex education and the challenges of early marriages and school dropout influenced by social-cultural factors. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	International Society for Educational Planning. 2903 Ashlawn Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060. Tel: 770-833-1948; Web site: http://isep.info/educational-planning-journal
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01