Child neglect and pupils’ literacy in selected primary schools in Kagadi Town Council, Kagadi district Uganda

Abstract

The study was conducted in order to determine how child neglect relates to pupils’ literacy in selected primary schools in Kagadi Town Council, Kagadi District. It aimed at achieving the following objectives: to find out the effect of physical neglect on pupils’ literacy, to examine the impact of social neglect on pupils’ literacy and to establish the relationship between psychological neglect and pupils’ literacy in selected primary schools in Kagadi Town Council, Kagadi District. The study specifically adopted a cross-sectional survey design. A sample of 144 was selected using simple random and purposive sampling. Instruments of data collection were questionnaires and interviews. Data from the questionnaires was analyzed by use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while qualitative data from interviews was sorted, organized and analyzed narratively. The study found out that there is a very weak linear positive, but significant relationship between psychological neglect and pupils’ literacy (r = 0.132, p = 0.013). The findings suggest psychological neglect is likely to cause low literacy levels among the pupils. There is a positive linear relationship (r = 0.013) between psychological neglect and pupils’ literacy. The study concluded that basic necessities have an impact on analyzing and reading and can affect reasoning and creating ,that abandonment does not only have an effect on analyzing reading but also has a direct link with writing ability and that criticism affects ability to analyze and read and this greatly affects child’s education. The study recommended that there is need for the MoES as well as the parents to provide necessities to primary school pupils to enhance their analyzing and reading, reasoning and creating as well as ability to write. In addition, parents, teachers and local leaders should address the issue of physical neglect in order to boost pupils’ literacy that community leaders and parents need to adopt appropriate measures that are aimed at minimizing abandonment since this has an effect not only on analyzing reading but also on writing among primary school going children. Furthermore, there is need for community sensitization by local leaders to curb social neglect as this has an impact on pupils’ literacy and that there is urgent need for local communities and parent to adopt viable mechanisms and interventions to curtail criticism and threats as forms of psychological neglect because these affect abilities to analyze, read, writing ability, reasoning and creativity which greatly not only affects pupils’ literacy but also child’s education.