May 13, 2016

Motivation

  • Quality of Kenyan educational system is low:

  • Slum populations are particularly vulnerable in Kenya:

High Rates of School Switching

  • Higher than other Kenyan provinces:
  • Higher than other slum areas, e.g. Harambee 32% (Oketch et al. 2010)

Research Question:

What are the factors associated with school switching?

Why do we care?

  • School switching can be harmful:
    • Negatively impacts on education, income, and reproductive health (Tønnessen et al. 2016)
    • Fewer school friends and higher chances of failing courses (Langenkamp 2014)
    • Particularly if the move occurs during adolescence

Primary Education in Kenya:

  • 8 years of mandatory education
  • Free public education (for the most part)
  • Precarious 'private' schools

Hypothesis: Strategic Switching:

  • People switch to receive better preparation before taking the KCPE

Methodology:

  • Cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2015
  • 2,300 adolescent girls (aged 11 - 14) who were living at Kibera in 2015
  • Three angles:
    • When
    • Where to
    • Who

Strategic Switching: When

Strategic Switching: When

Strategic Switching: Where to

Strategic Switching: where to

  • Fifth Grade Only:
  Estimate Std. Error t value Pr(>|t|)
Difference b/w Public and Private -5.78e-16 5.99e-16 -0.965 0.336
(Intercept) 1 4.16e-16 2.4e+15 0

Strategic Switching: where to: Distance?

Strategic Switching: Who:

  • Linear Probability and Logistic Models: \(Pr(Switch_i) = \alpha_i + \beta_1\vec{ability_i}+\beta_2\vec{household_i} +\\ \beta_3\vec{confidence} +\beta_4 distance_i +\varepsilon_i\)

Strategic Switching: Who:

  Estimate Std. Error z value Pr(>|z|)
Raven Test Score -0.0706 0.0814 -0.867 0.386
Distance 0.00217 0.00181 1.19 0.232
Father Employed -0.21 0.251 -0.835 0.404
Mother Employed -0.143 0.19 -0.754 0.451
Father living in HH 0.347 0.251 1.38 0.166
Mother living in HH -0.394 0.323 -1.22 0.224
Mother education (year) -0.0138 0.0314 -0.44 0.66
Girl E(Marriage Age) 0.0404 0.0184 2.19 0.0284
Male Friends (no.) -0.0129 0.0449 -0.287 0.774
Female Friends (no.) -0.00421 0.0186 -0.226 0.821
Feel Safe in Community -0.00672 0.292 -0.023 0.982
In control of life -0.0496 0.164 -0.303 0.762
Influence surroundings -0.256 0.163 -1.58 0.115
Intercept -0.106 0.66 -0.161 0.872

Strategic Switching: Who:

  2.5 % 97.5 %
Raven Test Score -1.4 1.19
Distance -0.23 0.089
Father Employed -0.00139 0.00572
Mother Employed -0.702 0.283
Father living in HH -0.515 0.229
Mother living in HH -0.145 0.839
Mother education (year) -1.03 0.24
Girl E(Marriage Age) -0.0753 0.0477
Male Friends (no.) 0.00427 0.0766
Female Friends (no.) -0.101 0.0751
Feel Safe in Community -0.0407 0.0322
In control of life -0.579 0.566
Influence surroundings -0.37 0.271
Intercept -0.575 0.0624

Summary:

  • In conclusion:
    • Adolescent girls switch schools often in Kibera
    • Little evidence to support a strategic switching hypothesis
      • Switches occur too early
      • No difference in quality of schools
      • No differences b/w switchers and non-switchers

Public Schools:

  Estimate Std. Error z value Pr(>|z|)
Raven Test Score 0.206 0.0922 2.24 0.0253
Distance 0.00993 0.00212 4.69 2.75e-06
Father Employed 0.358 0.292 1.23 0.221
Mother Employed -0.362 0.204 -1.78 0.0756
Father living in HH -0.284 0.282 -1.01 0.314
Mother living in HH 0.635 0.376 1.69 0.0916
Mother education (year) -0.00161 0.0346 -0.0466 0.963
Girl E(Marriage Age) 0.0117 0.0198 0.592 0.554
Male Friends (no.) -0.0922 0.0569 -1.62 0.105
Female Friends (no.) 0.0351 0.02 1.75 0.0794
Feel Safe in Community -0.0268 0.323 -0.0831 0.934
In control of life 0.191 0.181 1.06 0.29
Influence surroundings -0.125 0.179 -0.698 0.485
Intercept -2.36 0.741 -3.19 0.00142

Private Schools:

  Estimate Std. Error z value Pr(>|z|)
Raven Test Score -0.258 0.0865 -2.98 0.00284
Distance -0.00895 0.0024 -3.73 0.000191
Father Employed -0.533 0.264 -2.02 0.0435
Mother Employed 0.181 0.203 0.893 0.372
Father living in HH 0.682 0.286 2.38 0.0172
Mother living in HH -0.941 0.322 -2.92 0.00354
Mother education (year) -0.0118 0.0334 -0.353 0.724
Girl E(Marriage Age) 0.0352 0.0191 1.85 0.065
Male Friends (no.) 0.0798 0.0563 1.42 0.156
Female Friends (no.) -0.0489 0.0246 -1.99 0.047
Feel Safe in Community 0.0285 0.317 0.0899 0.928
In control of life -0.238 0.176 -1.35 0.176
Influence surroundings -0.188 0.173 -1.09 0.275
Intercept -0.139 0.681 -0.203 0.839