ABSTRACT

Parental drug abuse is a global concern and a major issue affecting their involvement in pre-school children’s learning. It negatively impacts their much needed involvement particularly provision of the needs of children who are at a vulnerable stage in life. The purpose of this study was to determine the implications of parental drug abuse on their involvement in children’s education in Embulbul Sub-county in Kajiado County. This study was guided by the following objectives; to establish the prevalence of parental drug abuse among parents of pre-school children and to assess the influence of parental drug abuse on their children’s education; attendance of school meetings/functions; and to find out measures that could be put in place to avert the low participation of drug abusing parents in their pre-school children’s education. The study was guided by Epstein’s Model of Parents’ Involvement and adopted a descriptive survey design method. A sample size of 8 (55%) out of 14 pre-schools, a similar number of head teachers and 24 (50%) pre-school teachers (three from each school) was selected. Questionnaires for teachers and interview schedule for head teachers were used to collect data. A pilot study was conducted in four pre-schools to determine validity and reliability of the instruments. Analysis of qualitative data involved organizing it into relevant themes as per the research objectives/questions and presented using direct quotes in narrative form while quantitative data entailed use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. Cross tabulations were done to measure the relationship between parental drug abuse and their involvement in children’s education. The findings in the study established that the most abused drug was alcohol. Majority of teachers agreed to a very great extent that parent alcoholism and drug abuse affected pre-school class attendance. Half of the teachers reported that parents who abused drug rarely assisted their children in homework. Most parents who abused drugs did not adequately provide for their children at preschools. The study concluded that parental drug abuse  had a negative impact on children’s education. To improve parents’ attendance of school meetings, the study recommended that parents should be motivated to ensure that their children accomplish their goals. Training initiatives should be implemented in order to inform parents on the importance of parental involvement in children’s education.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

          Introduction

This chapter describes the background to the study, problem statement, study purpose and objectives, respective research questions and significance of the study. Likewise, the theoretical framework, conceptual framework, assumptions, limitations and definition of operational terms are also highlighted in this chapter.

          Background to the Study

Parents’ involvement or engagement not only positively affects children’s achievement, but also provides for higher quality education and better performance in school. The children learn to associate school environment with the surrounding he/she finds at home. The primary shared interest is a caring concern that the child be successful. Children whose caregivers/parents are aggressively occupied in their learning are likely to regularly attend as well as adapt well to school thereby excelling academically. Further, the children are likely to have improved social skills, and are more disposed to  experience smooth transition from one level of learning to another as Epstein (2002) states.

For societal growth and development, education is a basic factor. Thus, children are likely to excel in their academic life and become productive and responsible individuals of the society if their parents get involved in their education (Weinstein, 1984). However when parents or guardians fail to guide their children with respect to basic education as a result of drug abuse, the young ones’ future is at stake. In this way, drug abuse among the parents has an enduring and serious impact on young children.

The National Children’s Strategy (2010) underlines that all children ought to be in a position to establish their own abilities and have the capacity to develop independence and coordinated living as from youthful age to adulthood. In any case, through its work across the nation with children and families, UNICEF (2008) reveals the outcomes that parental drug abuse can have. As opposed to preparing their children for independent life, these parents neglect their task of attending school meetings/seminars and communicating with teachers. In a study by Johnson, O’Malley, Bachman and Chulenberg (2004) it was found that the prevalence of alcohol abuse by parents was more than 40%, while 33% of the population used tobacco.

In Nigeria, Adamson, Omifade and Ogunwale (2010) revealed that the most commonly abused drugs by parents were alcohol, cannabis, sedatives and tobacco. Akinyemi (2008) found that regardless of the endeavors of the Nigeria National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other legislative offices to stem the tide of the vice, there is an increasing rate of drug abusing incidences in both young people and adults in Nigeria (NCADD, 2006). Parental involvement or participation in their children’s education correlates with ensuing academic success. Parental engagement and enthusiasm in their children’s learning positively affects the child’s academic performance crosswise; over branches of knowledge and combined in test scores (Fan & Chen, 2011).

Ketchum (2006) noted that drug-abusing parents are likely to be careless with child rearing styles which entail low levels of responsiveness and demandingness. These guardians are to a greater extent passive, giving no support to their children, provide their children with no assistance related to personal studies neither follow up their children’s activities or their whereabouts. Moreover, they do not set or request any benchmarks for

their children’s work nor bolster their children’s efforts in education. While these children can score higher on social skills, on the other hand, they score low on work introduction and impression of scholarly capacities (Ketchum, 2006). Drug-abusing parents are in most cases prone to facing hardship in addressing the necessities of their children’s education including paying school fees, availing play/ learning materials, overseeing discipline and supervision of homework (Substance Abuse Training Tri-Town Head Start, 2007).

In South Africa, the prevalence of drug abuse has been slightly reduced following the emphasis of campaigns against drugs and substances by the government. The South African School Act (Act 84 of 1996) gives all stakeholders the mandate to participate in the governance and management of the school. In this Act, the mandate presents principals, teachers, parents, learners and all community members with the harmonious task of changing traditionally authoritarian institutions into democratic centres where everyone participates actively in the decision making process. However, the consequences have remained the same and entail children neglect, destruction of lives of families and low production (Ndetei, 2004). Efforts towards the fight against drugs have been supplemented with campaigns on the awareness and education on HIV and AIDS, which has spread at a very high rate in the country due to drug abuse. The most increasingly abused drugs include heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, even though the use of mandrax declined significantly. The abuse of these drugs consequently leads to accidents, unsociable behaviour, crime and health problems including poisoning of the human body cells (United Nations, 2007).

Children whose parents abuse drugs are perceived as vulnerable in many aspects, especially concerning development and growth, behaviourial problems and academic achievement (UNICEF, 2008). While many documents have been published related to possible risks of drug abuse among parents on their children’s education, little has been conducted on children’s participation in pre-schools due to missed out opportunities related to but not limited to reduced chances of accessing school or their right to education due to the effects drug abuse may have on their parents making them unable to engage in school functions and provision of support towards school related activities (Ndetei, 2004).

In Kenya, drugs and substance abuse, whether illicit or non-illicit, are common in both young persons and adults and has rendered serious issues regarding children’s school attendance which NACADA, (2007) indicates needs urgent action. According to the Kenyan Constitution (2010), every child has the right to education. Learning is both school and home-based thus parents must make an effort to enroll their children into pre- schools and fully assist them in learning. Apparently, NACADA (2004) reports that the phenomenon of drug abuse is widespread in Kenya and the consumption of alcohol is no longer restricted to the senior age groups or to special occasions. Instead, alcohol is readily available to people of various ages (NACADA report, 2004) and even to children. Parental drug abuse has been reported to have negative impact on children’s education and the family in general. Furthermore, such parents may not prioritise and usually neglect their children’s needs.

In rural areas in Kenya, parental addiction to drugs has been on the ascent. Children whose parents are dependent on abnormal amounts of narcotics utilisation regularly confront challenges in their scholastic work and frequently enlist low scores in their academics (Mwiti, 2006). He further stipulates that past examination has shown that drug-misusing parents cannot satisfactorily accommodate their children’s fundamental needs which altogether influence their social lives. The previous studies in Kenya however appear not to have touched on the implications of drug abuse among parents on their children’s academic performance in pre-school, and this provides the gap for the current study.

          Statement of the Problem

Drug abuse prevalence has grown in the Kenyan society today and its impacts are overwhelming. Studies have revealed that drug abuse not only affects the abuser himself/herself but also other members of the family and the entire community especially the school-going children at pre-school levels. Children under such conditions are more vulnerable and are at risk of physical abuse and emotional torture. These children are deprived of happiness, which consequently affects their self-identity. This is due to the fact that parents who are drug abusers do not prioritise their children’s needs but are more inclined to take refuge in the mood of drug-controlled world.

Consequently, such parents fail to attend school events like meetings/seminars for capacity building, visiting or communicating with teachers regularly. They are also less inclined to provide for their children’s learning needs including paying school fees, availing play/learning materials, overseeing discipline and supervising their children’s

homework. Despite the significance of parental involvement in children’s learning, few studies have been done to ascertain the implications of drug abuse on their participation in the education of their children in pre-school. It is against this notion that this study sought to investigate the implications of parental drug abuse on their involvement in pre- school children’s education in Embulbul Sub-county in Kajiado.

          Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to determine the implications of parental drug abuse on their participation in pre-school children’s education in Embulbul Sub-county in Kajiado. Specifically, it focused on educational aspects involving their ensuring children’s: enrolment, attendance and retention into preschool and provision of learning needs. It also covered participation of parents in attending school events as well as communicating with teachers.

          Specific Objectives

This study was guided by the following objectives-:

• To establish extent of drug abuse among pre-school children’s parents in Embulbul, Kajiado County.
  • To find out if abuse of drugs by parents affected their pre-school children’s class attendance.
  • To find out influence of parental drug abuse on ensuring retention of children in pre-school
  • To assess influence of parental drug abuse on supervision of their pre-school children‘s homework.

• To establish influence of parental drug abuse on provision of their pre-school children’s learning needs.
  • To assess influence of parental drug abuse on their attendance to school events.
  • To find out influence of parental drug abuse on their communication with pre- school teachers.
  • To identify measures that could be put in place to enhance high participation of drug abusing parents in their childrens education.

                        Research Questions

• What was the prevalence of drug abuse among pre-school children’s parents in Embulbul, Kajiado County?
  • What effect did parental drug abuse have on attendance of their pre-school children?
  • What effect did parental drug abuse have on retention of their pre-school children?
  • What effect did parental drug abuse have on supervision of their pre-school children‘s homework?
  • What effect did parental drug abuse have on provision of their pre-school children’s learning needs?
  • What    effect    did    parental    drug    abuse    have    on    attending    school functions/meetings by parents of children in pre-schools?
  • What influence did parental drug abuse have on their communicating with preschool teachers?

• What were the measures that could be put in place to enhance high participation of drug abusing parents in their childrens education?

          Limitations and Delimitations of the Study

In this section, the limitations and delimitations of the study are presented.

                Limitations of the Study

Mistrust by the pre-school teachers, who felt that the research may reveal issues of alcohol abuse by parents of their learners may have compelled them to conceal provision and access of some information which could lead to skewed data as Best and Kahn (1998) suggested. This limitation was countered by giving a letter of introduction on the purpose of the study and guaranteeing the confidentiality of data shared by the respondents.

                Delimitations of the Study

This study was specifically confined to the involvement of drug abusing parents in the education of children in sampled pre-schools in Embulbul in Kajiado County and the key informants were teachers and head teachers.