Prolonged School Closure Due to COVID-19 Pandemic and Adolescents’ Behaviour in Co-Education Public Day Secondary Schools Nakuru East, Kenya

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many governments to implement measures to curb the spread of the virus, some of which left an indelible negative impact on over 91% of the student population worldwide. Among these measures was the prolonged closure of schools, a decision by the Kenyan Government that posed substantial repercussions on the mental health of the adolescents, with some students showing an increase in drug substance use, change in sleeping and eating patterns, decrease in physical activities, and engagement in unprotected sex, an increase in screen time resulting from increasing in sedentary and risky behaviour. This study examined the relationship between prolonged school closure and adolescent students’ behaviours. A correlation research design was adopted to address the study objective, determining the strength and the direction of the relationship between the closure of schools and students' behaviours. The study was conducted in Nakuru East sub-county, Kenya, premised on the Cognitive Behavioural Theory. The target population constituted 2546 four and three students from four co-educational public secondary schools in the region. A sample size of 335 students was determined by calculation using Taro Yamane formulae 1973, which can be used when the target population is in the thousands. Using Stratified Random Sampling, data was collected using survey questionnaires. The data was further analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Correlation coefficient and regression analysis to establish the relationship between the study variables. The study established a significant relationship between prolonged closure of schools and adolescents’ behaviour, with sedentary activities and risky behaviours. This study was, however, limited to a specific set of four co-educational public day secondary schools located within Nakuru East Sub-County, Kenya. Still, the findings can be applied to show a change in behaviour to a broader population with similar characteristics. The study recommends further research within non-co-educational institutions.