"The Gateway to Everything": Gender Safety, Violence, and Examination-Oriented Learning Processes in Kenyan Primary Schools

• In Event: Gender and Its Relations to School Experiences, Achievement, and Violence, Across Countries and From Kindergarten Through Adolescence

Abstract

The relationship between gender violence in school and teaching and learning processes, and the extent to which elements of gender safety can provide an empowering and protective environment, were investigated in this study. Multiple qualitative case study research was conducted in two nearby primary schools in Kirinyaga County, Kenya, indicating that each school contained elements of both gender safety and gender violence that influence students’ motivation and ability to learn. Gender safety in schools is promoted within the Kenyan national policy framework and through teacher initiatives, but was constrained by school cultures that prioritized discipline and examination results, valuing authority structures and patriarchal norms over student well-being and development.

Author

• Catherine Vanner, Independent Scholar