Abstract:
The study was designed to investigate the factors that cause dropouts among junior
high school girls in rural schools in the Effutu Municipality in the Central Region of
Ghana. The study employed the qualitative research approach and adopted a
phenomenological design. The purposive sampling technique was adopted to sample
the participants for the study. The main instrument used for data collection is the
interview guide. The data collected was analysed thematically in line with the
research objectives. The study revealed that unconducive learning environment, poor
school administration, poor academic achievement, and poor relationship between
female learners and teachers were some of the factors that led to girls’ dropout of
junior high schools in rural communities in the Municipality. The study also revealed
that, parents preferred investing in male ward education because, cultural practices
considered the education of a male as good investment and the education of a female
child as a poor investment, leading to girls dropout from school. Based on the finding
of the study, it was recommended among others that, all stakeholders, including the
school, the community, and the government must collaborate efficiently in putting in
place proactive interventions aimed at supporting female learners who exhibit the
desire to drop-out of school. The public schools in the Municipality should be
mandated to organize parents’ association meetings to deliberate on the problems
affecting their girls’ education, and then take steps to address them.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Social Studies Education,
Faculty of Social Sciences Education, submitted to the School of Graduate
Studies in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Education
(Social Studies)
in the University of Education, Winneba
