Influence of Teacher-Student Relationships on Students’ Loneliness in Coeducational and Single-Gender Public Secondary Schools in Kenya: a case of Murang’a County

Abstract

The objective of this study was to establish the influence of teacher-student relationship on loneliness among secondary school students. The study was carried out in sub county public schools in Murang’a County, central region of Kenya. A cross sectional survey design was used. Stratified random sampling was used to get a sample of 592 participants from eight sub counties in Murang’a County. Loneliness was measured using Perth aloneness loneliness scale (PALs) while teacher-student relationship (TSR) was measured using ten statements with graded responses in a five point Likert scale developed for this study. The PAL and TSR scales together with personal data questions formed sections of self administered questionnaire. Administration of the questionnaire was done during normal school days by research assistants. The data was coded and analyzed using statistic program for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. Findings were that TSR was inversely and highly significantly related to loneliness. Regression analysis revealed that TSR predicts 16.2% of loneliness among students. The results are discussed in relation to implications in teacher training curriculum and loneliness counseling in schools.