Improving learning outcomes and transition to secondary school through community participation and after school support among disadvantaged girls, A pilot study in Nairobi informal settlements - Kenya

Abstract
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This was an intervention study with an inbuilt impact eveluation. The intervention targteed girls aged in grade 6 in 2013, when the study began. The broad objective of the project is to improve learning outcomes and transition to secondary education among poor girls who live in the informal urban settlements. The specifc objectives are: increase after school learning time; increase awareness about challenges of and support to girls' education by parents and community leaders; decrease cost related barriers of girls' transition to and continuation in secondary education; generate evidence on whether and how the proposed model works; to influence policy on marginalized girls' education.

The study deployed a multi-thronged approach of interventions in support of girls' education, with three arms of intervention: The first component involved an after school mentoring/homework support where the girls were given support in core subjects of literacy and numeracy by girls from the same environment who had attained the grades of C+ and above which is the minimum requirement for university entry. The second component was the parent and community support. This component of the intervention targets parents, community leaders/gate keepers girls aged 12-19 years in order to provide support for education and schooling of girls who are at risk of not completing primary and transiting to secondary school. The third component of the intervention is the primary to secondary transition subsidy. This component of the intervention will provide conditional financial support to girls from poor households who will obtain a mean score of 250 and above in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) done at the end of the primary school cycle. The financial support will subsidize the cost of joining the first grade of secondary school by an equivalent of USD 113 and therefore enable the beneficiaries to transition to secondary school.

The project sites are two urban informal settlements of Korogocho and Viwandani. Further, the project intends to demonstrate how an education intervention with parental and community support can address the intergenerational inequality of access to secondary education.

Geographic coverage
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Two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya - targetted all girls in the two settlements who were in grade 6 in 2013. In total 1271 girls were recruited at baseline.

Analysis unit
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Individual

Universe
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The study covered all girls in grade 6 and their households in 2013 and prospectively followed for 3 years.

Sampling procedure
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This was a pilot project to demonstrate how an intervention project among the urban poor can increase access and transition to quality secondary education among girls who live in informal urban settlements and to demonstrate how an intervention with parental and community support can address unequal access. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design with 2 treatments and 1 comparison group in each of the informal settlements. The enumeration areas in each of the study sites were grouped into three categories to minimize contamination. Thereafter, the 2 treatment groups and the comparison group were randomly assigned to these enumeration areas. Treatment group 1 was exposed to remedial instruction and community-based intervention; group 2 was exposed to remedial instruction only; the comparison group receives no intervention. Using the NUHDSS database, all the girls aged in grade 6 in 2013 together with their households were enrolled into the study.

Sampling deviation
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None

Mode of data collection
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Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument
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A total of six survey instruments were administered to collect the quantitative data on the girls and their parents or guardians during the study as described below.

1) Individual schooling history questionnaire

This tool sought to get information on the schooling participation of the girls and focused on the schooling patterns, schooling history and school attendance of the student. It also sought information on the type of school being attended and that attended previously by the girls, location of the schools, reasons for change of schools, class repetition and reasons for repetition.

2) Individual behaviour / life skills questionnaire

The individual behaviour questionnaire sought to get information on the educational goals and future aspirations of the girls, test their level of self-confidence, personal behaviour, substance use, sexual activity, source of information on sex, drugs, smoking and alcohol, knowledge about HIV /AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The tool also sought to dispel myths about puberty, sex and HIV/AIDS.

3) Parental/Guardian involvement questionnaire

This tool focused on the parental support in response to a need of learning materials focusing on life skills guidance & counselling for girls. It was designed to investigate parental understanding of their role and that of the community towards the education of their daughters and to understand the challenges that affect girls' education in the two urban informal settlements where the education intervention is being implemented.

4) Literacy test

The tool was designed to focus on the four skills of literacy namely; listening, writing, reading and speaking. The literacy tests focused on one-on-one (picture e), one-on-one (words), one-on-one score cards which focused on testing the listening, speaking and reading skills of the girls. There was also a whole class composition writing which tested skills in reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary of the students.

5) Numeracy test

Numeracy test assessed the three learning domains of knowledge, comprehension and application. The focus was on the curriculum outcome areas of numbers and operations, patterns and algebra, geometry, measurements and basic statistics.

6) Conducting FGDs and IDIs

In addition to the quantitative survey, we collected qualitative data by conducting six Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 12 In-depth interviews (IDISs) in each study site. Three FGDs were done in each study site with one in each category (T1, T2 and C). The FGD comprised of a mix of both male and female participants almost in equal measure. Twelve key informant interviews were also conducted in each of the two sites. The participants included area chiefs and village elders all of whom were male. The IDI guide was to investigate the community gatekeepers understanding of their role and that of the community towards the education of girls. It was also intended to understand the challenges that affect girls' education in the two urban informal settlements where the education intervention is being implemented. During the exercise, the FIs filled the participant description and consent forms. In addition, the entire discussions were recorded.

Cleaning operations
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Household data was collected using netbooks.

The assessment data: was keyed in using an internally program developed data entry program - the front end was developed using visual basicwhile the back end used MS SQL.

The literacy test tools were graded and scores for each item entered. The numeracy assessment consisted of multiple choice items, only the individual responses were keyed. Double entry was conducted to ensure consistency of entered data.

Sampling error estimates
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We included all girls in the study sites fitting the inclusion criteria and therefore this does not apply

摘要
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本项干预研究内置了影响评估机制。干预对象为2013年开始研究时处于六年级的少女。项目的总体目标是改善生活在非正式城市社区中的贫困少女的学习成果和升入中等教育的过渡。具体目标包括：增加课后学习时间；提高家长和社区领导对少女教育挑战的认识及其支持；降低少女过渡至并持续接受中等教育的成本相关障碍；产生关于所提议模式是否有效及其如何有效的证据；影响边缘化少女教育的政策。

研究采用了多方面的干预方法以支持少女教育，分为三个干预环节：第一个环节涉及课后辅导/家庭作业支持，其中少女们从相同环境中获得C+及以上成绩（这是大学入学的基本要求）的少女提供核心学科（读写能力）的支持。第二个环节是家长和社区支持。该干预环节的目标是家长、社区领导/守门人以及12-19岁的少女，以支持那些可能无法完成小学并过渡到中学的少女的教育和学校生活。第三个环节是小学至中学过渡补贴。该干预环节将为在小学课程周期结束时获得肯尼亚小学证书（KCPE）平均分数250分以上的贫困家庭少女提供有条件的财务支持。这笔财务支持将补贴加入中学一年级的学习费用，相当于113美元，从而使得受益者能够过渡到中学。

项目地点为肯尼亚内罗毕的两个非正式社区：科罗戈乔和维万达尼。此外，项目旨在展示如何通过家长和社区支持的教育干预措施来解决进入中等教育的代际不平等问题。

地理覆盖范围
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肯尼亚内罗毕的两个非正式社区——针对2013年在两个社区中处于六年级的所有少女。在基线阶段，共招募了1271名少女。

分析单元
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个人

总体
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研究覆盖了2013年六年级的所有少女及其家庭，并前瞻性地追踪了3年。

抽样程序
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这是一个试点项目，旨在展示如何在城市贫困地区开展干预项目，以提高生活在非正式城市社区中的少女获得和过渡到优质中等教育的机会，并展示如何通过家长和社区支持的干预措施来解决不平等访问的问题。研究采用了准实验设计，每个非正式社区中有两种治疗方案和一种对照组。将每个研究地点的统计区域分为三个类别，以最大限度地减少污染。然后，将两个治疗方案和对照组随机分配到这些统计区域。治疗方案1接受了补救指导和基于社区的干预；方案2仅接受了补救指导；对照组未接受任何干预。使用NUHDSS数据库，将2013年处于六年级的所有少女及其家庭纳入研究。

抽样偏差
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无

数据收集方式
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面对面 [f2f]

研究工具
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在研究期间，对少女及其父母或监护人进行了六项调查工具的行政，以收集有关少女及其父母的定量数据，具体如下。

1) 个人学校历史问卷

此工具旨在获取少女的参与学校教育信息，重点关注学生的学校模式、学校历史和出勤情况。它还旨在获取少女目前就读的学校和以前就读的学校类型、学校位置、学校变更的原因、班级重复和重复的原因。

2) 个人行为/生活技能问卷

个人行为问卷旨在获取少女的教育目标和未来抱负信息，测试她们的自信心水平、个人行为、物质使用、性行为、关于性、毒品、吸烟和酒精的信息来源，以及关于艾滋病/艾滋病和其他性传播疾病的了解。该工具还旨在消除关于青春期的错误观念、性行为和艾滋病/艾滋病。

3) 家长/监护人参与问卷

此工具侧重于家长对学习材料的需求的响应，重点关注少女的生活技能指导和咨询。该工具旨在调查家长对其角色以及社区对其女儿教育的理解，并了解影响两个城市非正式社区中少女教育的挑战。

4) 读写能力测试

该工具旨在关注读写能力的四个技能：听力、写作、阅读和口语。读写能力测试侧重于一对一（图片）、一对一（单词）、一对一评分卡，这些评分卡侧重于测试少女的听力、口语和阅读技能。还有全班作文写作，测试学生的阅读、写作、语法和词汇技能。

5) 数学能力测试

数学能力测试评估了知识、理解和应用三个学习领域。重点在于课程成果领域：数字和运算、模式和代数、几何、测量和基本统计学。

6) 开展FGD和IDI

除了定量调查外，我们还通过在每个研究地点进行六次焦点小组讨论（FGD）和12次深入访谈（IDI）来收集定性数据。在每个研究地点进行了三次FGD，每个类别（T1、T2和C）一次。焦点小组由几乎男女比例相等的男女参与者组成。在两个地点还进行了12次关键信息提供者访谈。参与者包括地区首领和村长，他们都是男性。IDI指南旨在调查社区守门人对他们角色以及社区对少女教育的理解。还旨在了解影响两个城市非正式社区中少女教育的挑战。在活动期间，FI填写了参与者描述和同意表格。此外，整个讨论都被记录下来。

数据清理操作
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使用笔记本电脑收集家庭数据。

评估数据：使用内部开发的程序数据输入程序输入——前端使用Visual Basic开发，后端使用MS SQL。

读写能力测试工具被评分，并将每个项目的分数输入。数学评估由多项选择题组成，只输入个别答案。进行了双重输入，以确保输入数据的一致性。

抽样误差估计
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我们包括了所有符合纳入标准的研究地点中的少女，因此这不适用。