Cognitive Factors and Development of Boy Child in Kenya

Abstract

Agnes Wavinya Nzioka

The place of the boy child and man in society is changing at a frenetic pace. The majority of society's systems work in favour of the girl child. Society has created the best environment for the girl child to thrive, to the disadvantage of the boy child. As such, more resources are committed to the development of the girl child than ever before. More than ever before, we are seeing numerous campaigns, workshops, and seminars dubbed "girl child empowerment." Especially in Africa and particularly in Kenya, one of the most significant advantages of conducting this research is that the country has significant gender disparities in the development of boys and girls, giving girls an advantage and the ideal atmosphere in which to thrive. As a result, boys have grown into dysfunctional adults that disrupt families, communities and societies across all spheres. To establish the role of cognitive factors on the development of boy child in Kenya. The main objective of this research was to establish the role of cognitive factors on the development of boy child in Kenya. The study used an explanatory research design. The target population unit of analysis was all the 3,500,000 students, 113,200 teachers, 10,463 principals, 3,400,000 parents, 14 heads of mental health hospitals, 129 heads of prisons, and 47 county education officers respectively in Kenya. Stratified-Systematic sampling and purposive sampling were used to identify a sample size of 1,682 respondents selected using the Krejcie and Morgan Table formula. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between cognitive factors and the development of the boy child: reasoning (r=0.33, p<0.05) and memory (r=0.23, p<0.05), indicating that enhanced cognitive abilities are associated with more favourable developmental outcomes. The findings from this study offer valuable insights for policymakers and implementers in addressing critical gender disparities and enhancing the development and performance of boys. This has broader implications for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa Vision 2050, and Kenya Vision 2030. different medical conditions and risk factors that potentially led to a child developing a recurrent TIA.

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