Population of the study The study population consisted of primary schools in Mbarara district. For case of school, only females were selected for the study. This was because such categories of people are expected what causing high cases of female dropouts. From primary schools for example pupils experiencing such cases themselves, parents also may be knowledgeable to provide information. All was expected to provide the researcher with reliable data. Sample selection method and size Section of schools Simple random sampling method was used; five primary schools were selected in Mbarara district for the study. All the primary school names in Mbarara district was written on small pieces of paper, folded, and put in a container and mixed up ,five papers was selected at random without replacement. The picked papers were the ones from with the study were be conducted from. Selection of respondents Five directors and80teachers corresponding to the number of schools was purposely selected for the study, whose students could fill the questionnaire adequately and where the rates of female dropouts was high, the study used systematic random sampling. 73 parents, selected for the study using simple random sampling, 238respondents was used in the study. Research Instruments Written documents Through the study exercise the researcher made attempts to make a review of the relevant written documents about subject (causes of female dropouts in primary schools) the written documents will consist of school records, text books, publication journals, reports presented at conferences, internet, government documents and microfilm. This technique
Item Respondents # % Very high 5 6.25 High 6 7.50 Average 21 26.25 Low 34 42.50 Very low 14 17.50 According to the Table 15, out of 80 sample teachers, 42.5 % of them suggested that female school leavers' academic performance was ‘low’. On the other hand, 17.5% of them suggested that female school leavers were ‘very low’ in their academic performance. Only 5 (6.25 %) of teachers’ respondents indicated that the female school leavers’ academic performance was ‘very high’ and 6 (7.5) of them said ‘high’ that indicates the successful result of girls. Teachers' responses, therefore, imply that their poor academic performance is one of factors affecting participation of female education in secondary schools. Among sample secondary school administrators, 6o percent of the school directors also suggested that the school leavers of female students were weaker than that of female and male students who are actually learning as the document inspection shows. In addition, among the interviewed female school leavers who were asked if they repeated in the last grade of their secondary education, 45 (56.25 %) of them said 'Yes'. The rest, 35 (43.75 %) of them said ‘No’. Furthermore, female school leavers' parents were also asked in interview whether their daughters who stopped their education before completing secondary education (grades9-12) failed before or not. For this question in an interview, 50 (68.5 %) and 23 (31.5%) of them said 'Yes ' and 'No' respectively. Next to this question, only the parents who said 'Yes' was also asked to mention the grade she failed. And they gave the following suggestions. Table 16: Parents responses of the grade levels that their daughters repeated