Education and Parenting in Kenya

An international perspective on parenting and family influences on adolescents and young adults.

“…In countries such as China that have nationally standardized curricula, textbooks, and pedagogy (Ministry of Education, 2018), the content and quality of adolescents' education are relatively independent of family factors. In contrast, in some countries, parents play a much larger role in adolescents' educational experiences by virtue of selecting neighborhoods (if schools are funded through property taxes, as in the United States; National Center for Education Statistics, 2018), being able to pay education-related expenses even if school is in theory "free" (e.g., Oburu & Mbagaya, 2019), and other forms of involvement (Smith et al, 2011). Parents still play a role in educational outcomes for students even in countries with standardized school systems, however, by conveying their values related to education and supporting educational outcomes through experiences such as cram schools (specialized schools that focus on preparing students to pass high-stakes school admissions exams) and extracurricular activities.…”